Harry Potter and the Sarkany Flame
by Sunset on Heartache
Summary: "The Sarkany Flame, Harry. It's a tradition that, each December tenth, the Flame is brought out and Sarkany couples mated within the year wish upon it." Harry's interest was gone. He didn't put hopes in wishes and dreams, really, because what had he wished for that truly happened? / In which Harry's wish takes a different direction than he expected it to. Rated T!
1. Sarkany Secrets

_A/N: Welcome, dear readers, to my new baby... I've worked really hard on this story so far, so here's some info._

_The most important chapter will not follow the same guidelines as the others. (;3)_

_**Summary: **Harry Potter wishes on the Sarkany Flame after being mated and unknowingly brings back his parents and godfather from the dead. Along with that mess, he also finds himself pregnant - and refuses to bring his child into the world while Voldemort is still alive. Submissive!Creature!Harry, Harry/Theodore Nott/Bill/OMC/OMC  
><em>

_**Warnings:** Submissive!Creature!Harry, moresome (no smexx), bringing back the dead, MPreg on several accounts, OOCness, OMCs, OFCs._

_**Disclaimer 1:** StarLight Massacre (author of The Rise of the Drackens) owns the Dracken species. With her permission, I have taken the Dracken species and changed them around and given them a new name. This may seem a lot like her story at first (Remus picking Harry up, Harry being a Sarkany, the number of mates, and so on), but I promise you it's not just a 'spinoff' of her story. _

_**Disclaimer 2: **I only own what you don't recognize. c: Ian, Wyatt, Finley, Carter, Lexi...these are all of my creations. No stealing _

_****THIS FIRST CHAPTER IS NOT IN THE STYLE THE REST OF THE STORY WILL BE IN._

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter One: Sarkany Secrets**

…_.Seventy years ago a law was made, saying that **no unmated dominant could touch a submissive** until said submissive marked him or her. Dominants everywhere rebelled, killing tens of people in their anger, until the submissive count had lowered so far that not all the dominants could take a submissive. After this rebellion, known as the Dominance Rebellion, protection measures were taken to keep the precious submissives from being harmed again._

_Today, we see these changes bright and clear. **Dominants cannot be mated to a submissive unless they were at a Meeting**, a Meeting where the dominant could be monitored at all times before the mating. They are **also not allowed to speak, touch, or interact at all with the submissives at these Meetings** until they have been marked by the submissive. The previous law had never been meant to take things to such a lengths, however, it was deemed necessary. A **threat of execution** was given if this law was broken, and so dominants stand tall and proud as they let the submissives find _them, _instead of the other way around – the natural way._

_Meetings are held at plenty of places all around the world, however only one Meeting encompasses _all _those of Creature blood. It is called **the Winter Meeting**, as it is always on the **First of December**. It takes place in **the Hall of Gathering for ten days**, from December the First through December the Tenth, in which unmated submissive Creatures are brought in an allowed to mingle together. It is a peaceful Meeting, though the unmated dominants are not allowed to mingle until marked. _

_The **marking is not permanent**, and is **usually rejected soon after being placed**. It is a simple touch to the torso of the dominant. Veela use their hands, Sarkany their faces, Fey use their wings, and those of Neko descent use their tails. Marking a dominant shows that the dominant has **a chance to show their worth to the submissive**, which is usually a chase **until the submissive is too tired to continue**. Not chasing the submissive who marks you is a sign of disrespect, and it is to say that the submissive is unworthy of your attention and that you will not be following their games. This is also a rejection of the mark, and likely the submissive will not try again and will move on. _

_After you are marked, you have the rest of the time to show that you are willing to be the submissive's mate. Not only willing, but that you _want _to be the one protecting the submissive, that you would gladly throw your life on the line for him or her. It is a risky game, and at any moment the submissive may deem you unworthy and reject you, leaving you to rejoin the rest of the dominants without attempting to interact with the submissive again._

_The difference between a submissive's rejection and a dominant's rejection is the fact that **a submissive can choose to remark a dominant**. He or she may give a second chance, and possibly a third or fourth chance. They may chase that specific dominant until their Creature accepts him. A dominant does not have this choice..._

_Section Two: Views on Creature Blood_

…_.and though many people never approved of Creature blood in the past, the world governments have passed **the Protection Act**, which states that: "...**all Creatures** of undiseased (see vampire, werewolf) nature,** including Sarkany,** Veela, Fey, and Neko among others, are **hereby protected from harm by threat of prison time**..." and "...the killing of a dominant undiseased Creature will be punished by a period of 2-7 years in Azkaban. The **killing of a submissive** undiseased Creature or child will be **punished by execution**."_

_Many Ministries have even gone as far as to suggest individual guards for underage Creatures, however this has not come into affect as of 1990 and is likely not going to happen, as..._

_Section Three: Diseased Creatures_

_Creatures who are considered dark are called 'diseased Creatures', or Creatures who were not born the way they are. Diseased Creatures cannot pass their genes in a hereditary nature and must instead bite the one they wish to pass their genes on to. Diseased creatures include Vampires and Werewolves, and in some cases, Fey. Fey are both Diseased and Undiseased, as this specific creature can pass the gene in a hereditary manner and through their saliva. It is unknown why the world governments have decided to protect the Fey..._

_Section Four: Undiseased Creatures_

_Name: Veela_

_Description;_

_Dominant: Mainly male, dominant Veela are often large with sharp features. They are usually pale in complexion, their eyes silver or blue, hair blond or white. Dominant Veela have sharp wings, which are normally misconstrued as being metal. This is not true. The wings are sharp, hard scales that can be used to cut and attack with, but are not suited to flight. Each wing is usually made up of six or seven long, rectangular scales, sharpened to points at the end. As a Veela grows, his or her wings will grow and often shed to be replaced by sharper, stronger scales. It is said that if you were to pull a scale out of the wings, you could count the rings on the inside and be able to tell how old the Veela in question is. This is an illegal practice._

_Submissive: Usually smaller and more delicate, male or female submissives will have a darker complexion – pale skin, dark eyes and hair. It is unknown whether this is to attract dominants or if it is particular breeding that causes Veela submissives to always be dark-haired. Submissive Veela have wings much the same as Dominant Veela, but along with wings they also grow claws and fangs when in Veela form. Veela venom (which is severely acidic) can cut through a foot of steel in three minutes._

_Breeding: Veela are extremely strong child-bearers, carrying never more than one child at a time. Veela are able to carry children only into their thirties, however, which doesn't leave a lot of time for a lot of children. As such, many submissives choose to have children at a very young age – sixteen to twenty five. Gestation lasts 10 months, and children are generally born with a full set of teeth._

_Mating: Veela do not truly become mates until they have consummated their relationship. Mates will do anything and everything to protect each other and will often die one right after the other._

_Diet: Veela eat mainly vegetables and fruits, with grains and nuts thrown in. Dominants eat more meat than submissives. When their fertility peaks, submissives will be drawn to eating more and more meat._

_Name: Neko_

_Description;_

_Dominant: Often in dark colors, dominants grow twin cat ears and a single tail during their inheritance. It is more common for a dominant to have orange coloring than any other coloring. Dominants are rarely small, though it has been known to happen, and will sport large claws on their hands and feet when threatened. _

_Submissive: Natural colorings include brown, black, gray, white, and calico or tortoiseshell. When giving in to their instincts, often their eyes will begin to glow and slit. Will also sport large claws when threatened, and in life or death situations, the claws will be covered in an acid that makes it very hard to heal a wound. Are often smaller than their dominants. _

_Breeding: Neko carry anywhere from 1-7 kittens at a time, though their pregnancies are extremely delicate and they are often on bed-rest for much of it. Gestation is 8 months, though Neko have been known to give birth before and after 8 months. Kittens are generally very small and grow slowly, staying small until their inheritance._

_Mating: Neko instinctively know who their mate is, it is only a matter of finding them. Their Neko will not accept anyone else until and unless their mate dies. They are considered mated after locking eyes for a period of ten to twelve minutes, though the bond becomes stronger with consummation._

_Diet: Generally carnivores, Neko also enjoy certain fruits such as bananas and kiwis. It is not known why._

_Name: **Sarkany**_

_Description;_

_Dominant: Sarkany dominants usually reach a height of at least six-foot, though many are known to reach nearly seven-foot. Dominants have **large, scaled wings that will support their weight in flight**. The **inside of the wings are covered in a brightly-colored, tightly knit group of scales**. There is not a chink in the scales and it is **extremely painful for the scales to be pulled out**. The back of the wings are **covered in scales of the same color that are softer**, nearly feather-like and easily break. It is **not painful,** and a common social habit of Sarkany is to sit together and preen the back scales. The **body of the Sarkany is also covered in scales**, smaller and smoother, unnoticeable unless the light hits them correctly. When the Sarkany **instinct is taking over, their eyes will slit** and they will be **incapable of much speech**. Sarkany dominants grow claws on their hands when in danger, or when they feel their mate is in danger, and they **will go to any lengths to protect their mate or chicks**. If their mate dies, they often do not find another, for Sarkany mate for life. They are, however, capable of taking on another mate if needed. **Dominant Sarkany blood can be used as a healer for any other Sarkany**, but it is **poisonous to humans and Wizards**._

_Submissive: Often only **reaching a height of five-foot-five**, submissive Sarkany are **very small** and fragile. They have less muscle mass, though, when threatened, **are equally as vicious and dangerous** as their dominant counterparts. Their **wings are pure white** until they take a mate, and then the **inside scales will begin to take on the colors of their mate's**. The back feather-like scales will remain white. Sarkany submissives will **spontaneously grow fangs when threatened**, which are coated with an acid that will severely harm when in the blood stream. They also grow claws on their hands, but while the **dominant will immediately strike to kill, submissives go for the fleshy belly of their attacker** in order to cause it great pain and suffering – **especially if it was their chicks or mates who were threatened.** **Submissive Sarkany blood can be used as a healer for their chicks.**_

_Breeding: Sarkany **can carry 1-5 chicks** at a time, but their **pregnancies are fragile** and their mates will often not allow them to wander off alone for fear of losing the chick(s). When their fertility peaks, during **the 'Heat' (which lasts for 5 days every two to three months)**, submissives will feel a **rise in temperature** as their bodies warm up to the right temperature for breeding. They also **revert to an almost childlike state** until their heat begins. Sarkany **will nest anywhere from two months to one week** before giving birth (in which **males rip their bellies open**), and once they have begun **building their nest, nobody is allowed near it or in it** or the Sarkany will move the nest, which is often dangerous. If a **Sarkany moves his or her nest, they will often be a greater distance away from their mates (who will not be able to protect their submissives)**. Submissive Sarkany **will kill any who try to come near their nest during nesting, including mates and family members**. Dominant mates will **all look at the child carried by the submissive as theirs even if it is not so biologically**. **One child will only have one father (the dominant) and one mother (the submissive)**, however, if five chicks are born, their could be two with one father, one with another, one with a third, and the last with a fourth father. Gestation is generally 7 months, however, it changes from submissive to submissive, and ultimately the **submissive will know when their chick will be born.**_

_Mating: Mating can occur at **any moment that the submissive's inner Sarkany has deemed the dominant a suitable match.** This could be over **a handshake, a kiss, or a hug.** Dominant Sarkany only take one submissive, but **submissive Sarkany may need anywhere from 1-5 mates**, depending on how powerful they are. Many submissives need two mates, one to conceive a baby and one to ground the submissive's magic. It has, however, been known that a submissive can need three mates to conceive a baby and one or two to ground their power. **If their power is not grounded, they may lose control of it and kill those surrounding them. **_

_Diet: Dominant Sarkany prefer rare or raw meat to anything else, often catching their own food and eating it fresh. Submissives, however, **are primarily herbivores, eating little meat until their fertility peaks or they are pregnant.**_

….

The room is dark and somewhat still, only a small lump under the bed-covers breathing evenly to disturb the stillness. The drapes are pulled over the windows, marring any light that may come in. A book called 'All About Inheritance' by Giovanni Gale was spread open on the table, the page reading about different Creatures. A highlighter is in the middle of the book, keeping the pages open, and it seems like whoever had been reading it was trying to highlight important facts. As it got to a section about Sarkany, most of the words were highlighted, making the book look more yellow than white.

A page of notes lays on the desk beside it, many of the 'important facts' rewritten onto it.

The lump under the covers begins to move, and then a head pops out from underneath and takes a deep breath. His eyes catch the book from the night before and he winces, looking like he wanted to believe it had all been a dream.

Two feet hit the floor, and he pads over to the table, closing the book around the highlighter and folding the notes in half. A previously unseen piece of parchment floats to the floor and he groans, leaning to pick it up. It is labeled 'Care of Magical Creatures Essay' in delicate, curly handwriting.

The boy whispers to himself as he slips the paper into a folder. "Remus told me to take care and learn about Sarkany, just in case, but it seems like there was a lot he wasn't telling me..." a small hesitation, and then a yawn. "...at least I got my Care of Magical Creatures essay finished, though I didn't expect to come across Sarkany while doing it..."

Still in his pajamas, the boy scurries about the room, pulling things out and placing them on the table. It's a round card table, the cheap, flimsy kind that you find in stores for outrageous prices, but realize that the sturdy kind cost even more, and so buy the flimsy ones instead. He plops stacks a pile of books on top of it, making the table groan. They're textbooks: A Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6), A History of Magic (Volume 6), A Beginner's Guide to Wandless and Wordless Magics, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi (Volume 2), Healing: Potions, Defense Through the Ages, and finally the first book: "All About Inheritance." He added a few more books, counted, recounted, and then scrambled to find a book that must have been missing.

Finally, he popped out and had all of his school books in order. There was a trunk on his bed that he began filling, stopping now and again to rearrange and make more room. When he was finished, the room was significantly cleaner and a light could be seen trying to force its way through the closed drapes. He pulled them open, the room being illuminated, and one could see that the whole room was taken up by the bed and the table. He stubbed his toe as he moved around, trying to maneuver around both large pieces of furniture, before his packing was finished.

After this, he dressed, but did not leave his room to shower. He didn't even try the doorknob, seeming to somehow already know that it was locked from the outside. Instead, he perched on the windowsill, peering outside, and waited.

And waited.

And as the sky grew dimmer, something finally happened.

A man appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, but the people passing on the streets didn't even see him. The man marched up to the door and pushed it right open, as if there wasn't a deadbolt, chain, and lock on the inside. They all magically opened for him, allowing the man to pass. The man did not stop at the gaping faces of the house's occupants, but instead started right up the stairs and stopped outside a room with a lock on the outside.

The boy inside was ready for him, and the man hardly had to step inside at all. The boy barreled out as soon as the door was open, crashing into the man with a tight hug.

The man grunted, smiling. "Come along, Harry, it's high time we've gotten you to Hogwarts."

And Harry followed right along, beaming, as they traipsed down the stairs again, out into the street, walking down a few houses until they were in an alleyway. The man turned and grabbed Harry's arm, and then they were both gone.

The reappeared somewhere in Scotland, where the man put his hand on Harry's shoulder and steadied him before they continued along.

"I can shrink your trunk for you, Harry, if you want," the man offered. "Where's Hedwig's cage?"

Harry smiled at the man, and then shook his head. "It's fine, Remus. I can carry it. I left Hedwig at Hogwarts this summer."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "It's quite a long walk..."

"I know," Harry laughed, and then stopped quite abruptly. "Remus, I did as you asked and … well, I didn't _actually... _I meant to... but.."

"Finish your thoughts," Remus stated, voice almost stern. "Don't stop in the middle."

"Sorry. I did as you asked and learned about the Sarkany. Only, I really didn't, because it was an accident that I learned about them, even if I had meant to. But sir, why did you ask me to learn about them?" Harry asked, forcing himself to talk slower. The boy had had problems finishing his thoughts ever since he'd watched his godfather die and nearly traveled through the Veil with him. The Healers thought that maybe Harry had been affected by the short touch to the Veil, but Harry fancied that it just took too much concentration and he wasn't finished grieving yet.

Remus hummed thoughtfully, weighing his options, before responding. "You see, Harry, when magical children turn sixteen, they come into what is called an Inheritance. It's not money, or property, or anything like that. Your Inheritance only changes you if you've had an appearance spell on you, or if – or if you've got magical Creature blood in you."

Harry frowned. "But sir, I don't _have _magical Creature blood in me," and then he paused, suddenly unsure. "_Do _I?"

"You do," Remus replied quietly. "Your father was a Sarkany, and …. when two Sarkany mate, their offspring will _always _be a Sarkany. But when one Sarkany and one Wizard mate, there's a very small chance. When the baby is born, your father could smell the Sarkany on you immediately and knew you'd be one of the dragon creatures, too."

Harry chewed his lip, looking down at himself. Would it be bad to have Creature blood? His book had said that undiseased Creatures were protected religiously, almost sacred. He wouldn't be spurned, and it wouldn't _hurt _him... it might actually be nice to have a mate...

Something must have occurred to him, because his steps faltered. They could see the Hogwarts gates from where they stood. "Sir...why are we at Hogwarts? Don't we usually spend the summer at the Burrow or Headquarters?"

Remus sighed, patting Harry on the shoulder. "Harry, we think you'll be safer at Hogwarts when you come into your Inheritance. We believe...you'll be the submissive. If a dominant sees you, even with the laws that are in place, he may be unable to stop himself from trying to force you to be his mate."

Harry frowned, not liking the sound of that, but he was more worried about the fact that they thought _him_ to be the submissive. He was not a submissive! He would not be carrying children! He was...he was Harry Potter! It made him angry that they thought him weak, but his anger melted away when he remembered what he had highlighted the night before: submissive Sarkany are as vicious and dangerous as their dominant counterparts. He was actually quite smug at this revelation, and said nothing more as they continued their trip to Hogwarts.

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><p><em>AN: How was it, then? Like I said, next chapter will be mucho different. xD _

Review, please


	2. Winged Wonder

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and alerts. c:_

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything you recognize... c:_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Two: Winged Wonder**

Hogwarts was not nearly as quiet as it should have been for a castle that is all but abandoned. Ghosts seemed to have swelled in number, portraits talked louder, Peeves made as much racket as he could. The halls were filled with the sound of metal rubbish bins clanging together as the Poltergeist slipped up and down the halls, smacking them against each other and singing a loud tune.

Harry loved it.

He spun in a circle and grinned at Remus, a happy laugh bubbling up in his chest. "Are you staying here, too, Remus?" he asked, hugging the man. He had been very clingy as of late, especially to those special to him. It made Remus smile that the boy liked him enough to hug him without his asking.

"I certainly am. You'll also have the company of a few others who have come into their Inheritance this summer. They're all submissives, here for the same reason you are," Remus told him softly, smiling. "You'll no-doubt recognize them, they're all in your Year."

Harry teetered precariously as Peeves flew back up the hallway and nearly hit him with a rubbish bin. He huffed and lugged his trunk back up again, scowling good-naturedly. "I should get this up to the tower."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "The tower? No, no, Harry. You're here for safety purposes until you're – gods, I can barely stand to say it – until you're mated. You can't stay in the tower on the off chance that someone comes into their Inheritance and they're a dominant Sarkany."

Harry frowned. "But...why... where am I going to stay instead?"

"You and the other submissives will have your own private quarters on the seventh floor," Remus smiled, taking the trunk from Harry and leading him to the staircase. "You'll have your own password and Floo, your own bathroom, your own Common Room, and so on."

Harry looked at him confusedly, hurrying to keep up. "You make it sound like I'm going to be there forever instead of just until I'm mated. When is that, by the way?"

Remus chuckled, slowing down so that Harry could follow easier. "You _will _be there for the rest of your schooling, Harry. For now, it's for your protection – we can't have any dominants forcing you into something you don't want. After you're mated, it's so that you and your mate will have privacy. And you'll be mated whenever you _find _your mate. The first Meeting is in December – well, _yours _is. The first Sarkany Meeting of the year is actually in early July, but you missed it – and you couldn't have gone anyways, as you hadn't come into your Inheritance yet."

Harry tried to understand this logic, but it just fled his mind. "Sir, won't it kind of be silly to keep me in private rooms if I'm just going to be taking classes with the others, anyways?"

Remus sighed. "Harry, you don't understand. We're not just keeping you in the rooms. You'll be taking your classes and meals in the rooms as well, until you find your mate."

Harry stopped walking. He was not sure how to feel about everything that had happened, but one thing was sure: he really hoped he wasn't a submissive. But he also didn't want to be a dominant, kept away from the submissives for safety purposes. It was a lose-lose situation that he had on his hands.

"But...I'll be able to see people, right?" he asked desperately. There was no way he could stay away from people for that long – from now, July 29th, until December 1st. He'd go crazy, and his talking problem would probably get worse, and nobody would like him anymore, and he'd be a Creature all alone with no friends and...

He tried to calm himself down. Surely they wouldn't keep him away from people.

"Yes and no," Remus said, his tone slightly tight. "You'll be able to see the people who we know for a fact are not of Creature blood. You'll also be able to see the submissives – and there are a handful or two of them this year. However, people like the Weasleys – who have a whole mixture of Creature blood in them and may or may not come into an Inheritance – are a no-no, and Miss Granger is, too."

"What!" Harry cried, happy that he didn't have his trunk because it would have just been dropped on his toes. "Why not Hermione? She's _muggleborn!_"

"Ah, but Harry, if you had read into history, you'd know that many muggleborn children are actually just children from a long line of squibs. Some lines are so long that they've forgotten entirely about magic, but the genes are still there, and they may come to the forefront in Miss Granger," Remus explained lightly, trying to placate the upset boy beside him.

Harry, however, was reeling. "No," he stated, shaking his head. "You have got it wrong. Hermione would have already come into her Inheritance – she was sixteen _last _September."

Remus tutted. He didn't really want to tell Harry the truth, but if he had to... "I suppose you've caught me. I didn't want to hurt you, but if I must tell you... Sarkany are very...unbalanced for the first few months. They can perceive those without Creature blood as being dangerous – it's from a long time ago when Creatures were hunted by those who wanted their blood or scales or other body parts for potions. It's an instinct that you'll be able to get rid of, usually around the time of your mating."

The mating would also get rid of other things, Remus thought with a grimace. His cub's innocence, for one. But there was also Harry's childhood – there was a good chance that he'd get pregnant at the first mating, unless he needed more than one mate. And his reliance on Remus, or anybody other than his mate.

"...Remus?" Harry wondered as they traveled up the last flight of stairs. The boy seemed a little curious and a little bit confused. "You can still visit me, right?"

Remus gave a pained little wince. "'Fraid not, love," he said quite gently. "Not until you're mated. Your Sarkany will see me, one of the diseased, as a threat."

"...and try to rip your belly out," Harry whimpered a little. "I don't want to be a Sarkany!" he cried, suddenly terrified that he was going to hurt somebody or something. "I don't want to at all!"

A curious head peaked out of the closest portrait, which seemed to be a bubbling cauldron. "Oi, Harry! I thought I heard your voice!"

"Seamus?" Harry asked, sniffling. "You're here, too?"

"Ay," Seamus nodded. "Me mam's a Sarkany, thinks I'm going to be a submissive."

Harry looked a little happier at the prospect that maybe he wouldn't be the only one going through this. "They think I'm going to be a submissive, too!" he confided, looking just so against the idea that it almost hurt Remus to think about what would happen if he was, indeed, a submissive.

"Sarkany? Or something else?" Seamus wondered. "The Patil twins are down there a ways, they say they're Fey. And Hannah Abbott is across the hall, a Neko. Supposedly there's a few Ravenclaws down there who are Veela, but I've not seen one."

Harry had thought that only Sarkany would be here, and was surprised at so many of them. "Is that all?"

"Almost. There's a Slytherin named Daphne Greengrass, she's a Veela, and I don't deny it. Rumor has it we have a transfer student too, another Neko," Seamus explained. "I think you have the room right across the hall."

Remus nodded. "Yes, he does. Nice seeing you, Mr. Finnigan," he called, leading Harry to the portrait. It was, amusingly, a dragon – Sarkany were those of dragon blood. Sarkany came from the Hungarian _sárkány, _though with time and mispronunciation the Hungarian accent was dropped and it became Sarkany – sar-con-ee. There had been a lot of information in the Prologue of All About Inheritance, and that was one of the few facts Harry had picked up.

"I wonder," Harry said aloud, "If I'll be able to breath fire?"

Remus only laughed and tapped the portrait, saying something that Harry didn't catch. "What do you want the password to be?"

"Hmm? Oh, right. I guess... 'inheritance' will have to do for now," Harry murmured, but he had already lost himself in his own thoughts. Remus pushed him through the doorway, wondering what on Earth the small boy could be thinking about that had him so numb to the outside world.

The rooms, Remus noted, were just as they had been when he visited two days ago to make sure they were ready. There were two couches, facing each other, on opposite sides of a plush, dark rug. A coffee table, glass, sat on the rug between them. The rest of the floor in the Common Room was hard wood except for a throw-rug in front of the fireplace the same dark (blue? Or maybe purple? Remus couldn't tell) color as the rug.

Off the Common Room was a walk-in kitchenette with a small table for two, the whole kitchenette done in black and white. Back in the Common Room, Remus saw a huge bay window, the seat with a black cushion and the pillows all cream-colored.

Opposite the portrait was a small, half-staircase that led up a few steps into the bedroom. It was big, meant for two and not one. The beg was king-sized, dressed in soft blues. The carpet was white and the drapes were special black-out drapes meant to keep the sun completely out. Just off the bedroom was a small hallway with a door that led to a bathroom and then, at the other end, a study for Harry to do his schoolwork. It opened up wide and looked rather comfy.

Harry was curled up on the couch, however, eyes unseeing, and Remus couldn't possibly just stand there any longer watching.

He shook Harry, once, and hard. Noises didn't seem to bother him at all, so maybe a jolt would. Sure enough, Harry blinked and then went about checking out his private quarters.

Remus smiled wryly, and then said goodbye to Harry for the last time until December.

– – –

The rules were explained in a very flat, no-nonsense manner to Harry by Minerva McGonagall. No going outside of his rooms (he nearly got Seamus in trouble then when he went to blurt out, 'but Seamus was out!'), if he wanted to visit someone he'd have to Floo them. When he gave her a flat look, asking her to explain, she told him that he could only visit the other submissives in the building, and that his Floo was connected to them.

Harry's mind whirled. "But Remus said I could see others if they had Creature bloo..." he trailed off, and then narrowed his eyes. "He tricked me! If they have Creature blood, then they'll likely be Creatures, which means that they're either dominant or submissive, and the submissives are the ones I can...bloody hell, that man!"

"Language!" Minerva had shouted, and then continued.

He'd be expected to continue his schoolwork, of course, and they would do this mostly on their own save for study sessions once a week with each of the different teachers. He actually liked the fact that he could work on his own, because he knew that working alone – without a teacher in his ear – would make his grades better, because he absorbed things better when he had to read it himself.

His meals would be here in his rooms, three times a day – nine in the morning, twelve o'clock noon, and five at night. If he was hungry and it wasn't mealtime, he could Floo an elf in the kitchen and ask (politely, she reminded him) for a snack to be sent up.

One weekend a month, on different times than the rest of the school's days, the submissives would be taken to Hogsmeade with heavy guard so they could get some fresh air.

McGonagall seemed hard-set that they'd all have mates exactly on December first, and so would be coming back to classes on the second. Harry didn't know how he was expected to find a mate in a day, but he suspected that he'd know when the time was right, and so left it at that.

She keyed the Floo in to his name, so that all of the others just had to Floo "Harry Potter" and would be sent to his room. There was an alarm that allowed him to accept or reject them, and if they were accepted they'd be in his rooms and if not they'd be spat back out into theirs. McGonagall told him, blushingly, that this was so that his privacy would still be there when he and his mate might...copulate.

For now, she told him to rest, because tonight would be a hard night for him. He'd forgotten that tomorrow was his birthday and that he'd know for sure tomorrow whether he needed to be stuck in these rooms – which he was beginning to like.

Seamus popped over and they shared dinner, laughing and talking. The later it got, the more nervous Harry became, until he nearly shattered his empty glass. Seamus went quiet and examined him.

"What's on your mind, mate?" he asked.

_'Mate.' _Harry thought. Never would that word have the same meaning again. "I...I'm scared," he admitted after a moment, looking up under his lashes at Seamus. "About tonight."

"Oh, right," Seamus bit his lip. "Tomorrow's your birthday, meaning...tonight at midnight you'll be changing."

Harry nodded slowly. "Does it hurt?"

"I hope not," Seamus whispered, looking pale himself. "Me birthday's the third of August."

"I-I... what if I'm really different?" Harry demanded, wanting to smack himself.

"You won't be, only in looks," Seamus responded, but sounded unsure. "You'll still have me as your mate, Harry," he decided determinedly. "Whether you change or not."

So Harry went off to bed, feeling ill, and Seamus left.

He fell into a deep, troubled sleep, tossing and turning in his bed with nightmares about what he'd look like and act like after the change and what his mate would be like and what it would be like trapped in his rooms for months on end. He saw himself looking half-dragon, a scaly snout on his face and gnarly teeth dripping an acidic substance that he knew would hurt in someone else's bloodstream. His mate was even more frightening, bigger and almost fully a dragon, big wings coming out and flicking every person who wasn't Harry away.

The nightmares blocked the pain.

Harry woke in the morning, sore all over, feeling somehow different. It took a moment for everything to catch up to him, but when it did, he made sure to stay stock-still, not moving so that he couldn't have the chance of seeing how different he was. It took him ten whole minutes to realize that he could see each of the little points on the ceiling clearly, despite not having his glasses on, and when he realized it, his fingers came up to his face to feel his eyelids and all hope of not seeing them was lost.

They were longer and a little paler, more delicate-looking. They attached to small hands and skinny wrists, his pajamas – which had fit him well when he went to be – hanging off of him. The wrists were stuck on lithe arms with bony elbows, leading up to soft upper-arms and slim shoulders. Harry jumped out of bed, holding his pants up with one hand as he darted to find a mirror.

He was completely different and yet, not different at all.

His face was slimmer, less baby fat, but somehow rounder and more sweet-looking. He wrinkled his slightly up-turned nose, pouted out his puffy lower lip. Those hadn't changed, it seemed: they were still the same not-thin, not-full size they had been, and they actually looked like they belonged on his face now.

He could feel his collarbone now more than he could before – the Inheritance had sheered off too much weight. His belly was almost concave, and you could count his ribs.

He'd not only slimmed down, but it looked like his _bones _had shrunk – he was no longer a respectable five-foot-six, but a practically shrimpy five-three, and he'd need to buy _all _new clothing.

Harry was, however, a bit disappointed. He thought he was supposed to have wings? And fangs? And claws? What was the point in dealing with being shrimpy if he didn't have the wings?

As soon as he thought this, he watched his eyes change. They were slitting, the pupils going from round to the horizontal slits that dragons had. Jolts of yellow spiraled into his green eyes and his hair lengthened dramatically – nearing his waist before stopping. He'd have to cut it...but maybe not...he kind of liked it...

Except that it got tangled in his wings, which he could now see had sprouted from his back. He was also wobbling and clutching the sink, staring incredulously at the blood not only on the wall behind him but dripped off of those pure-white beauties, which had ripped through his back in a searing pain that hadn't hurt at first but was now _killing _him. He hoped that that didn't happen every time, because if it did...

The thought was cut off as he blinked at the wings, groaning. Well, if it hadn't been confirmed by his elfin stature, it could now be confirmed by the appearance of the wings – submissive white.

He was submissive.

He would be carrying a baby or more than one baby.

He was...killing him was punished by death.

He had wings!

The wings fluttered, and a shaky smile spread over his face as he limped back into the bedroom. He was very sore, he realized now that he wasn't hell-bent on getting to a mirror. He wanted a Pain Potion, but knew that that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

And he also wanted something to wear that wasn't going to fall off of him.

Something in his mind growled: _go naked. We are not wizards, we are _Sarkany_! We are not ashamed of our bodies!_

It was hard not to listen to this voice, it was so tempting just to give in right there. Instead, he held his pants as well as he could and dropped to his knees in front of the Floo, wondering if he was connected to more than just his fellow submissives and the kitchens.

This was answered when he Flooed McGonagall, who was surprised to see him up and about ("Normally the Inheritance puts you out of sorts for twenty-four hours, Potter!") but happily obliged in coming through to speak to him.

She looked at him, tutting and turning him in a circle to see his wings and everything else. McGonagall pressed a hand to her mouth, smiling slightly.

"You look very nice, Mr. Potter," she said, her voice just the softest he had ever heard from her. "What is it you needed?"

Harry shuffled shyly, looking up under his eyelashes as he had last night to Seamus. "None of my clothing fits."

"Oh! I would expect not," she exclaimed, clapping her hands lightly. A House-Elf appeared and she ordered it to begin taking Harry's measurements. When it was finished, it disappeared, leaving McGonagall a piece of parchment with the numbers on it. "Here's your measurements, when you're better, we can go out and get you some new clothing."

Harry peered at her, surprised. "I thought I wasn't supposed to leave?"

"Not without a powerful guardian at all times," McGonagall corrected him. "We must protect you."

"...right," Harry murmured, and then narrowed his eyes. "I thought I wouldn't like people without Creature blood?"

"Potter, all of the teachers here have some Creature blood in them. Professor Snape is a full-blooded Sarkany," she smiled lightly. "I have some Neko blood in me, not enough to have an Inheritance, but enough so that your Sarkany knows I'm not a threat."

Harry didn't understand that at all. Shouldn't his Sarkany be upset that there was another person with Creature blood, instead of comforted? But no, it seemed that he should be more worried about avoiding people with_out _Creature blood, because even the thought of a full Wizard made him shiver in disgust. He hoped that would go away soon.

"I can't go out today," he told her. "Can one of the elves just pick up some clothing? I've got the money in my trunk..."

"Why, pray tell, can't you go out?" McGonagall asked, lips pursed.

"I'm not feeling well."

And he wasn't. His back still burned where his wings had burst free and every muscle and joint in his body ached with every little movement, even breathing.

"I suppose we can send an elf," McGonagall decided. "I'll go with it to make sure everything is right. I'll send for a Pain Potion, now, off to bed!"

Harry didn't even argue.

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><p><em>Review, please! <em>

_~Kymmie_


	3. Momentary Months

_A/N: thanks for the reviews. c: Man I keep looking at these things as I upload them like, "hehe, I remember writing thissss O:" xD'' -is on Chapter 20 of this fic-_

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you recognize. c:_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Three: Momentary Months**

Harry opened his eyes the next time, it was pitch black outside. A pain potion had been sent up before he'd even fallen asleep, but it had long worn off now, leaving him somewhat achy. He wanted to curl back up and go to back to sleep, his bed was still warm and so, so inviting. But his mind refused to stop whirring, wouldn't give in to the slight drowsiness, and Harry found himself padding softly to the Common Room.

He wished he hadn't.

Piles of neatly folded clothing could be found taking up the space on both couches and one pile was even on the coffee table. A note next to it read,

_HJP,_

_You gave me enough money for heaps of clothing, so that's what you got._

_MM_

Of course, it didn't look all bad. A lot of the things were clothing he didn't think he'd ever, ever wear: leather trousers, a near-transparent white t-shirt, emerald green dress-robes, some shoes that looked very uncomfortable. The rest was things that he wouldn't really _mind _wearing, and immediately he shimmied out of the clothes he was wearing and carried a pile of clean ones up the stairs with him and to the bathroom.

When he was done showering, he found himself in a pair of white cotton pajamas and white socks. Inevitably, he knew that he'd get something on them, but they were so pretty right now... Harry shook his head, his Sarkany was pushing toward the front again, drawn by the clean brightness of the spotless pajamas.

He levitated the clothing up the stairs to the bedroom, where he sorted out things he liked and things he would never wear and then put the things he liked in the closet. Several things, he noted, were made especially for people with wings. They had slits up the back or no back at all, held together by a strip of fabric at the bottom. He had just finished hanging the last item in the back of the closet when a yawn overtook him and he tumbled back to his bed.

August passed in a blur of surreality and boredom. Seamus and Padma visited him often, showing off their newly-obtained abilities. Harry didn't know much about Fey, but Padma educated him. Fey were not-quite-dark creatures who were generally normal-looking except for their pointed ears. When their 'instincts' took over, they would sort of shift into a little faerie. Fey were beautifully deceptive Creatures who felt the need to lure you in and give you a small bite on the finger, trapping you with them for the rest of your life.

After Harry heard this, he wasn't so keen on hanging around Padma and Parvati.

A large guard made up of five fully-grown, dominant Sarkany took Seamus and Harry to Hogsmeade near the middle of August. He heard tales of the other Creatures being escorted by guards of their same species, but he didn't see it with his own eyes. The Sarkany guard seemed to enjoy treating both Seamus and Harry as if they were fragile little beings, and more than once they 'warned' a familiar Witch or Wizard off, not allowing them to speak or touch the two boys.

"I wanted to talk to him," Harry had muttered, and the guard in behind him patted him gently on the back. These guards were all mated, so it was okay for them to speak and touch submissives.

"We must protect you from all threats, not just active ones," he said, voice deep and rolling. "Until you little ones have mates of your own."

This was another matter entirely: mates. Harry and Seamus spent a lot of time fancying what their mates would be like. Seamus hoped that Dean came into a dominant Sarkany Inheritance, but he was nearly hope_less_ because Dean was muggleborn. Harry hoped that his mate was someone he knew, but he learned that not many of his friends had Creature blood.

The guards liked to fancy with them, sometimes. They especially took amusement in trying to guess just how _many _mates each of them would have. It was decided amongst them that Harry would have four and Seamus three, but they only decided this because it made both of the boys cringe to think about having more than one mate and they drew amusement from the horror.

The guard would sometimes take them out onto the grounds and allow them to use their wings, which Harry adored. Flying with wings was one thousand times better than flying with a broom, and the only downside was that you wore out faster. In early August he would nearly have to be carried back to his rooms, but as the month went on, he could fly for longer and longer lengths of time, his wing muscles strengthening.

Seamus told him all about how the Meeting would go: there would be mated couples, unmated dominants, unmated submissives, and family members. The submissives got to choose what happened during the Meeting, but generally early on in the first day they'd be scenting out possible mates. Sometimes they would be so caught up in preening and relaxing that it would be the second day before they scented out possible mates, but that didn't happen very often. He said that dominants would all have their wings out and showing (or, in the case of Neko, tails and ears). This was because Sarkany thought that the brighter and bigger the wings, the stronger the dominant.

Harry thought that was silly.

In his mind, though, he was eager for the Meeting and the possibility of finding a mate. And it wasn't necessarily all because of his instincts.

– – –

"Another year has rolled around and another interesting turn of events has taken place," called Albus Dumbledore to the crowd of trusting students in front of him. They hushed immediately, every face looking up towards him. "Normally we do not have to make such an announcement because normally our school houses only one or two, but it is hard not to notice half of the Sixth Years missing."

And this was the truth, everywhere you looked a Sixth Year was gone, Harry Potter and Seamus Finnigan and Parvati and Padma Patil, Daphne Greengrass, Terry Boot, Hannah Abbott. It worried Hermione Granger, what could her best friend have gotten himself into this year?

"As many of you know, when a Wizard comes to their sixteenth birthday, whatever Creature blood that is in him or her will make itself known. As submissive Creatures are extremely delicate and need great protection from other dominants until they have chosen mates, Hogwarts chooses to keep its submissive Creatures hidden away."

Hermione frowned. Her best mate didn't have Creature blood, did he? Ron was looking interested, though; he mouthed 'Sarkany' and she frowned even deeper. Sarkany was something about dragons, she was sure she'd read about it somewhere.

"Until they have chosen mates, the submissive Creatures will be kept well away from the rest of the student body, as we have several dominant Creatures among us who will likely be hard-pressed to stop themselves from a forced mating. It's not their fault, only instinct, but we must protect the submissives."

This seemed to be being drilled in her mind: protect the submissives. She wasn't sure why, as she knew that Veela submissive could kill you just as easily as Veela dominants, but she didn't know about Sarkany. She'd need to read up on them.

"There are submissives in the school?" Theodore Nott demanded.

It was odd to hear from the boy: he was the silent Slytherin, normally in the background. Hermione noticed that sometime during the summer he shot up, as he was now well over six feet tall and his limbs were wrapped in muscle.

"Yes," Dumbledore responded, and went to take his seat so the Welcoming Feast could begin.

Hermione watched Nott's reaction. Even from here, she could see the boy (man?) swallow hard, eyes wide in something akin to panic and want. Was _Nott _a dominant? Her eyes flew wide and she looked to Ron, who seemed to know more about this than she did...for once.

"Nott's got a lot of Sarkany blood in him," he told her quietly. "The Potters do, too. It's no wonder Harry came into a Sarkany Inheritance, and I'd eat my cloak if Nott hadn't. Seems like Nott's a dominant, though. Hope Harry doesn't wind up with _him!_"

Hermione felt her eyebrows raise in confusion. "But what exactly _is _a Sarkany?"

Around them, the table went somewhat quiet. Dean spoke up almost shyly.

"Seamus said they were the dragon Creatures. Wizards with dragon blood."

Ron did this little shrug, sort of a 'yes and no' gesture. "I guess. Mostly they're just really dangerous, but the Ministry thinks they're sacred, so they're well-protected. Especially submissives. Killing a submissive gets you an execution."

"But why?" Hermione exclaimed, because now she was going into know-it-all mode and wanting to swallow information on the Sarkany.

"Because...well, I really don't know," Ron stated, eyebrows furrowed. "A lot of magical Creatures are protected like that. Veela, Neko, and Fey are the only I can think of off the top of my head, but Sarkany is definitely the most dangerous out of the lot. Sarkany feel threatened by wizards with no Creature blood and by humans and will kill you before you can even say hello."

Hermione took this in with great sadness, and she noticed that Dean did, too.

"Does that mean..I can't ever see Harry again?" she mumbled.

"No," Ron shook his head quickly. "'Course not. When Harry's mated, he won't think of you as a threat anymore. Dominants don't think of humans and wizards without Creature blood as threats, and submissives let their dominant mates do most of the protecting, so if they're not worried, the submissive won't be either."

Hermione smiled lightly. "Oh! When do they find mates?"

Neville said something at this. "It can take years, but usually submissives find their mates at their first Meeting. I suppose Harry's will be on December first."

Neville and Ron took turns filling Dean and Hermione in on everything Creature. Their heads filled and filled, taking in things that they'd never thought possible – pregnant males? ("All wizards can get pregnant," Ron said, incredulously. "And we called you a know-it-all!")

Seven floors above them, the submissives were having a feast of their own – a feast for the fact that there was only three more months until December first.

– – –

Schooling for Harry had become a lot more fun. Studying alone helped his grades go up – he even had an O in History of Magic now, and he'd never had more than an A. McGonagall was very proud of him, which made him work even harder, and he'd successfully brought all of his grades up to at least Es. Seamus was even doing better and exploding less things, making McGonagall jokingly tell them, "Maybe we should allow an independent study option for some."

During the teachers' free periods, the submissives were Flooed into their classrooms (which were magically locked from the inside) and given a practical lesson to see how they were progressing. Even Snape couldn't find anything wrong with Harry's potions now that he could concentrate. But something told him the man wouldn't have been too quick to say anything bad to Harry. The boy found Snape just _looking _at him sometimes, eyes almost _soft. _Harry badly wanted to ask what Snape was doing, but couldn't find the courage to do so.

He vaguely remembered that Snape was a dominant Sarkany – but he must have been mated, because otherwise Seamus and Harry wouldn't have been allowed around him. Harry wondered who Snape had been mated to, but wasn't sure if he wanted to know. There were no pictures in the Potions room, even on Snape's desk where the other teachers kept their family pictures. Harry couldn't fathom why Snape wouldn't have a single picture of his mate – or chicks! Did Snape _have_ chicks? It was almost an interesting idea.

On a Monday early in October, Harry found out that Seamus wasn't _quite _over his problem with exploding things. The group of submissives – there was exactly ten of them – were sat in the first few rows of desks, making a rather volatile Nutrient Potion. They were expected to drink the finished product. When the word 'volatile' was heard, nobody would sit with Seamus, so Harry had been forced to...which is why he found himself covered with a burning acid, quivering on the floor next to Seamus, who seemed to be unconscious.

It hurt. Like hell, or worse... he'd not felt this bad since he'd had Basilisk venom coursing through his veins. There was screaming and he took a moment to realize it was his own, the rest of the room had hushed.

A gush of cold water spurted over himself and Seamus. Then a second, and a third – and then all of the submissives had their wands out, water pouring from them. Harry cursed Snape for leaving them alone in the room, but even as he did, he heard the door opening and Snape rushing across the room.

Someone explained what had happened, and the water was gone, replaced by fluffy towels wrapped around his shoulders.

"Take him to the Hospital Wing," ordered Snape. Harry felt something slide under his back and then he was being carried, but he didn't even care – as long as the pain went away.

By the time they reached the Hospital Wing, it did. There was a lingering heat, however, that told him the acid had left burns – he was going to murder Seamus and nobody would stop him.

Except that Seamus looked like he had gotten the worst of it, and so Harry calmed himself down and examined his arms critically. They were firetruck red, and where the acid had pooled there were welts that had bled. Madame Pomfrey scurried too and fro, treating both Seamus and himself at the same time, and Harry saw that there were guards placed in front of the door to the Hospital Wing. It interested him as to how they always got to wherever they were going before the submissives arrived.

Burn Salve felt amazing on his skin. He let his Sarkany out, making sure not to put too much pressure on his wings, and let the scales relish in the Burn Salve, too.

He'd done some more research and found out that Sarkany were relatively unaffected by fire, because they were the dragon Creatures. Their scales would eat up any burns they had, but apparently that didn't count for _acid _burns.

Next to him, Seamus gave a tiny moan and opened his eyes. Harry whispered in a little voice,

"I certainly hope you don't expect me to drink that acid, Seamus Finnigan."

And they both laughed.

– – –

It was late at night, but Hermione and Ron were scurrying through the halls with Dean at their side. They'd heard rumors of certain people being in the _Hospital Wing _and wanted to see if they could at least _see _their friends, even if it was from a distance.

There was four particularly large guards standing in front of the Hospital Wing, and Hermione quickly began talking.

"Oh, sir, _please _let us just look in the window, we haven't seen our friends in months because of this whole Inheritance, we really do miss them!" she pleaded.

The guard shook his head stiffly. "I'm afraid not, Miss."

"Not even through the window?" Dean asked. "We won't even make any noise or anything, we just want to see them – see if they're okay!"

Ron nodded next to them. "Yeah, those to blokes in there are our best mates! I've been Harry's best friend since we were _eleven,_ and Hermione's, too, and Dean and Seamus were attached at the hip until Seamus came into his Inheritance!"

The Sarkany guards seemed very uneasy, but allowed them to sidle up to the window and peak in.

Harry was laid in the closer of the two beds, and Seamus in the one right behind them. They both looked a bit smaller than they had the last time their friends saw them: Seamus was around five-five and Harry probably five-three, both a good three or four inches shorter than before.

Hermione's heart settled when she noted that Harry looked perfectly fine. There was an orange paste smeared on his arm under a translucent bandage, but other than that, he seemed to be uninjured. Seamus had no eyebrows (...again...) and the orange paste was smeared over nearly every visible body part.

"Do you know what happened to them?" Hermione whispered.

"A Potions accident," the nearest guard responded.

Hermione gave a tiny nod, then whispered to her companions: "We should probably go...before someone misses us."

The boys agreed quietly, and they turned, thanking the guards and high-tailing it to their tower again.

Seeing their two friends had put them at ease, for the moment.

– – –

"Happy Halloween!" McGonagall called, stepping into Harry Potter's rooms. She had a plastic cauldron with candy in it, to be shared amongst the submissives. The House-Elves had special orders to send up the same thing that the rest of the school was eating.

Harry's head peaked around the corner from the kitchenette and he scowled. "What's so happy about it?"

The last few times she'd seen him, he'd been flaunting his pure white wings, eyes slitted and sparked through with a goldish-yellow color, hair longer. He seemed to be very taken with his hair, which was braided in on long, thing braid and thrown over his shoulder, hanging down the front of his body. This time was no different.

She took in his form, glad he was putting good use to the backless shirts she'd made sure to pick up. His pale skin easily showed the few scars his Inheritance hadn't been able to get rid of: the one on his forehead, "I Must Not Tell Lies" on his hand, one small one on his forearm where the Basilisk tooth had went in, and the newest one from the acid earlier this month. It had pooled in the crook of his left arm and ate away at the skin, leaving a somewhat large, circular scar there. It was partially covered by the half-sleeved shirt, but still noticeable.

"What's wrong, Potter?" McGonagall asked, taking in his scowl.

"I don't like Halloween," he responded simply, slipping back into the kitchenette.

She followed him, noting that he was making something – there was a thick, dark batter in a bowl on the counter and a greased pan next to it. The oven was warm.

"Why not? And what are you doing?"

Harry didn't turn to her as he poured the mixture into the round pan. "It's the fifteenth anniversary of my parents' deaths, Professor," he muttered blandly. "Or have you forgotten?"

"That's no reason to hate a day," McGonagall tutted. "And you never answered my question."

"Baking calms my nerves," Harry told her simply. "And I have every right to hate the day."

Harry must have been very stressed, then, McGonagall thought: the whole kitchen was filled with baked goods, cakes on counters, brownies, cookies, pastries. This particular cake seemed to be for the already two-tiered one that had a counter all to itself.

"Are you making...a wedding cake?"

"What? No," Harry rolled his eyes. "Unless you know someone who's getting married. It's going to be a particularly large birthday cake for Hannah Abbott."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. "When is Ms. Abbott's birthday?"

"Tomorrow," he told her. "November 1. Explain to me, Professor, why are some students allowed into the school when their birthday is after school starts, but not others?"

McGonagall explained to him about how it was perfectly acceptable for _wizards _to be allowed in a little early, even expected, but muggles don't do that – they are accustomed to keeping their children who were born after the school year started back a year because they aren't exactly 5 when Kindergarten starts.

But it seemed that this is not really what Harry wanted to talk about, because he zoned out during the middle of the explanation.

"Potter?"

"Professor?" Harry said, sliding the cake into the oven.

"What is _really _bothering you?"

Harry rolled his shoulders and went about cleaning up his mess. He didn't meet her eyes as he murmured, "Why doesn't Professor Snape have any pictures of his mate or chicks?"

McGonagall was, to say the least, very surprised at this question. None of the previous students who knew of Severus' Creature blood had ever been inclined to ask such a question, but of course Harry had always been one of the more _curious _children.

"Well... Potter, what gives you the idea that Professor Snape _has _any children – I mean, chicks?"

Harry rushed out an explanation: "Well, all the books say that submissives go into 'Heat' primarily to breed, and if the Professor is mated, then obviously his mate has went into Heat a few times, at least, so why wouldn't he have chicks? And if he's not mated, then why is he allowed around Seamus and I? It just doesn't add up."

McGonagall patted Harry's head gently. "Mr. Potter, you are not the only one who has lost people in the war. If you wish to know further, you must ask Professor Snape yourself."

She turned, departing, and left a few pieces of candy for him on the coffee table. Curious indeed.

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><p><em>AN: C: Review, please. Unlike The Rise of the Drackens, this story doesn't really go into Snape's past - in fact it doesn't include much of Snape after this chapter. I'm not really fond of him. In fact I don't even remember why he's in here, actually...xD_

_REVIEW?_


	4. Delayed December

**_A/N:_**_C: Thanks, you guys, for the reviews. ^-^ I've already got 20 chapters written for this story, as I've said before, so most everything is set in stone. I heard a protest about Severus' being without mate because of his mate's death, not only because they liked Severus but because it was 'too close to the Rise of the Drackens.' I wouldn't worry too much. ;3_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Four: Delayed December**

Theodore Nott was not one to complain about his life. Ever since he could remember, he was pampered, his parents' only child. It was rare for a Sarkany to only have one child, but around the time of his birth, when the War was still going full blast, his mother had been kidnapped and both he and his mother nearly died. She went into early labor and his father arrived just in time to sweep them away home, but his mother had never had another child: whether it was the fact that she _couldn't _or that her Sarkany wouldn't _allow _her was the big question, but either way, he remained the only one.

The Dark Lord had always looked at those with Creature blood as below him, going out of his way to kill Creatures. Many died during the war, his maternal grandparents included, and many more were forced into slavery. His father was one of them. He had been only an infant when this happened, but he still felt a sense of relief every time he heard about the enslaved Creatures who had died in the Dark Lord's service...and knowing that his father hadn't.

He was lucky to have both of his parents and he _knew _it. Many children in his generation had only one, or were even _orphans, _before little Harry Potter had put an end to the reign of darkness. So he never complained, not even when he Inherited a dominant Sarkany instead of a submissive one.

Theo had been counting on a submissive one. He was not very patient and that was one characteristic a dominant needed to have, because if he spoke out of turn to a submissive he could be executed. Executed for speaking! It was ridiculous, but it was true. He exercised his patience, speaking only when spoken to, even when he felt like he was going to burst from annoyance. But it would all be worth it when he had a mate – and really, it wasn't all bad.

He kind of liked being quiet. When quiet people spoke, others hung on their words. Not to mention the fact that many people pleaded with him to show them his wings.

He _loved _his wings. They were around twenty feet wide, maybe twenty two, and sunset orange. They weren't the brightest, but they certainly were gorgeous...if he did say so himself.

Theo let his wings out, smiling a small smile. Soon, December would be here, and he'd be well on his way to having a mate...hopefully.

He'd already been to one Meeting. Sarkany had an exclusive Meeting for only their species in early July, and that had been his first Meeting – it had been a lonely six days of being overlooked by almost all of the submissives, and he couldn't make himself like the two who _hadn't _overlooked him. He'd tried to play their little chasing game, but it had grown boring, his Sarkany telling him; _do not rush into things with those you have to force yourself to interact with. You will know when you find the right mate._

But it had been hard, _very _hard, to listen to this advice. Theo had felt as if he'd never, ever find a mate, watching all of the bigger and better Sarkany chase their prospective mates around the room, the laughter and the happiness, watching them lock eyes and just _knowing _they were a perfect match. The wings attached to his back fluttered a little and he noticed Draco Malfoy slip into the bathroom behind him.

"Ugh, watch your wings, Sarkany," he scowled good-naturedly. Then, softer: "Are you thinking about the Meeting?"

Draco was a Veela who would accompany Theo to the December First Meeting. It would be his first Meeting, so Draco was alternatively very laid back and very nervous. Finding your mate was a big deal.

"A little," Theo decided. "I'm a bit worried. What if he or she isn't there?"

Draco frowned deeply. "I don't know. I guess we'd keep on living, though. Have you thought about the submissives in the school? Granger's been going on about Potter being a Sarkany."

Theo's eyebrows raised a little. "_Potter? _A submissive? I never thought that would happen!"

Draco snorted. "I know! He's too stubborn. But he always has been kind of small."

Theo thought back to his few encounters with the boy. Harry Potter had always been kind, if not quiet, and Draco was right – he'd always been a few inches shorter than everyone else in their Year.

"Come on, I bet we can get a look at them, I hear that they have lessons with the teachers during the teachers' free periods!" Draco decided, grinning.

"McGonagall has a free period right now. But – I hear they have guards?" Theo fretted. "We'll never get close enough to see them."

It seemed they were unlucky, though. As they made their way up out of the dungeons, the submissive Sarkany were just coming in from outside, guards surrounding them in a tightly knit group.

As soon as the guards saw Draco and Theo, though, the Sarkany guards had burst into full-on Sarkany mode. Wings sprouted from their backs, blocking the two submissives from view, and they growled threateningly.

"What? Sorry, I didn't know we weren't allowed to walk through our own school," Draco grumbled. "Sheesh. Come on, Theo. Theo?"

It was the best thing he'd ever smelled – kind of citrus-y, a little hint of vanilla, and _so, so _pure.

"Theo! Come _on, _you're going to get yourself murdered!" Draco yelled, shoving his best mate. The other boy's wings burst from his back, instincts taking over. Draco grumbled to himself: "Aw, hell."

For a moment, there was just growls, Theo and the guards warning each other back and forth. Then, Theo decided he'd had enough – and began advancing.

Luckily for them, however, Severus Snape clattered up from the dungeons at that exact moment, tackling Theo to the ground. The guards immediately rushed the two boys they were protecting away, before Theo even had a chance to move.

"Bloody idiots, I told Minerva it was not a good idea to allow those two outside!" Snape snarled, waiting for Theo to calm down. As the scent got further away, he did, wings disappearing and heartbeat slowing.

"What – what –" Theo gasped. "Where did he go?"

"Who?" Draco wondered.

"He smelled so good," Theo murmured dreamily, making no move to get up off the floor.

"I expect you're talking of either Finnigan or Potter, who were not _supposed _to be outside today. But they whined to McGonagall until they were allowed, and see what happens when they go outside unscheduled.." grumbled Snape, brushing himself off.

Theo hummed to himself, a soppy little smile on his face. Draco had never seen his best mate like this, so...so happily relaxed. It almost scared him – almost.

"Why's he acting like that, Professor?" Draco demanded.

Snape rolled his eyes. "He has scented a potential mate. I have no doubt that whoever it was will have also scented him, but _knew better than to try and fight five guard members,_" the last part was accompanied with a smack to Theo's head. "You had better get a grip on yourself, because both of those boys _will _be at the Meeting and if you even smile at them before they have marked you, you will be accused of trying to throw the mating process and will be punished!"

Theo blinked drowsily. "But I want him."

"You haven't a choice in this matter, unless you want to wind up dead."

Draco frowned. "Professor, how are the submissives learning if you only teach them when you have free periods?"

Snape sighed, standing. "Come along, we will speak as we walk. I want you as far away from that boy as possible, Nott."

They began walking back to the dungeons, and halfway to the Common Room Snape began speaking slowly. "They have been studying independently, and it is going surprisingly well... we have only had one explosion the whole year."

It was only the middle of November, so that wasn't saying much, but it was surprising for _some _of the people that Draco knew to be submissives.

"That's when the two Sarkany were in the Hospital Wing," Theo noted.

"How did you know about that?" Snape growled.

"Granger has been going on about it," Draco responded for him. "Apparently she and the Weasel sneaked down to peer in the windows and make sure their precious Golden Boy wasn't permanently injured."

Snape was grumbling about guards not doing their jobs. "Yes, well, you two had better keep your noses in line from now on. And if you hear of Granger or _anybody else _sneaking out to see the submissives, you will come to me. Directly. I cannot have them in danger. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," the two boys responded in unison, and made their way into the Common Room.

– – –

Harry was wailing. Loudly. It took two guards to carry him up the steps as he fought tooth and nail to get back to that wonderful smell. When he realized that was not going to happen, he went limp and continued wailing, tears coursing down his cheeks as if he had just lost something incredibly precious to him.

They were on the third floor when the guards had to stop because of how much attention he was drawing.

"Calm down," urged the guard holding his torso. "It is no use making yourself sick over that boy."

"I-I-I _want him!_" Harry sobbed, struggling against them. It was a half-hearted attempt, but an attempt nonetheless.

"Harry?"

His tears stopped abruptly. The guards, in their surprise at someone actually approaching them, loosened their grips and Harry flew – literally – into Ron Weasley.

The redhead smelled like Sarkany and Veela and Neko and so many other things and the influx of Creature blood made Harry feel so calm it was not even funny. He pressed himself against Ron's warm body and felt safe.

"Uh...Harry, mate, what in the world are you..." Ron spluttered.

"He was distraught, Wizard," one of the guards said, eying Ron with both curiosity and as if he was a bug to be squashed. "And now he is not. But you are not his mate? No, you are not even a Sarkany."

"I'm his best friend," Ron told them, looking at Harry with unfiltered fondness. Harry cooed low in his chest, his Sarkany forcing it out of him, but Ron did not respond: Harry felt it was quite rude, but he still felt oh-so-safe and so could hardly be bothered to make a fuss.

Neville and Dean were behind him, looking on with wide eyes.

"Come," another guard demanded of Ron. "We will bring you back to his quarters and then you will leave."

"No!" Harry shouted, glaring at them.

"Yes," the guard growled, a rumbling in his chest that made Harry falter for a minute before agreeing. His Sarkany did not like when dominants were unhappy with him. It was a very weird feeling.

Ron moved, trying to walk with Harry attached to him, but it was hard. The guards told him to pick Harry up, and so he did – surprised at how light his best mate was – and began following them. Dean and Neville attempted to trail along, but they were quickly turned away (and you would quickly turn away, too, if a six-foot-eight dominant dragon creature glared at you with his claws out).

"What have you been up to, then, Harry?" Ron wondered, almost awkwardly, as they made the journey up four more floors.

Harry purred. "Nothing. Studying."

"He's got good grades now," Seamus, from his position between three guards, called. "Nearly all Os!"

Ron laughed. "I would have never guessed!"

"Easier alone," Harry mumbled. Ron looked at him, wondering what the _hell _was wrong with his friend that made him talk like this, and saw that his eyes were slitted.

"Uh...what's wrong with him?" he wondered.

"His instincts have come out," the guard in front of everyone said, not even turning around. "It makes speech very difficult."

"Oh."

On the Seventh floor, they went through a portrait of a scholarly monkey and Ron found himself in a hallway he'd never been in before. Every few meters was a portrait – the two closest were a cauldron and, across from it, a dragon. Seamus was ushered to the portrait of the cauldron and then the guards moved to the portrait of the dragon, bringing Ron along with them.

They had just opened the portrait when a shrill, "_WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" _was heard echoing through the hall.

Ron winced, looking at his Transfigurations Professor.

She looked like she had run all the way from her classroom, harried.

"Why have you buffoons not done your job? The submissives are not allowed near anyone other than the already-specified group!"

The guards shuffled. One, the biggest and obviously bravest, stepped forward. "I can explain, Professor. We came in from outside and a dominant Sarkany scented Mr. Potter, we defended him and Professor Snape came to take the dominant away. Mr. Potter was distraught and we had to stop on the third floor because of how hard he was trying to get back to the dominant. This boy found us there and Mr. Potter got free and calmed down as soon as he was with the boy."

McGonagall glared at Ron, who shifted uneasily. "Uh...it's true. I didn't even do anything."

Harry began purring softly, drawing McGonagall's attention to the sleepy sixteen year old. She didn't look too happy.

"Mr. Weasley, did you come into an Inheritance this summer?" she scowled.

"No," Ron replied.

"I believe it is because of how much Creature blood Weasley has," Snape said, robes billowing behind him as he appeared out of – seemingly – nowhere. "Potter is put at ease because of the sheer amount of Creature blood in Weasley. I can smell it, too," he muttered.

"Smell what?" McGonagall asked.

The guard butted in. "Veela, Sarkany, Fey, Neko, and many I have never encountered. It does put one at ease."

"Safe," Harry agreed, eyes drooping.

The large group moved into Harry's quarters. Ron took everything in with big eyes, slightly jealous. "This is where he's been staying?"

"Yes, and this is where he'll stay for the rest of his time at Hogwarts," McGonagall responded. "Come with me, Weasley, I'll show you where to set him."

Harry had fallen into a peaceful sleep, Ron realized. He followed his Professor up four or five stairs and around a corner into a large bedroom, where he was motioned to place Harry on the bed. When he was finished with this task, McGonagall dragged him back to the living room and shoved him onto a couch. Most of the guards were gone, only one was left by the door. Snape was still there, though.

"Alright, Mr. Weasley. Apparently Harry finds your presence calming," McGonagall snapped. "So you will be allowed in his quarters once a week, if you so wish."

"Me?" Ron squeaked.

"Yes, you," Snape snarled. "And the first time you try to bring someone with you is the last time you see Potter until he mates, _and _you will have detention for a _year._ Understood?"

"Yes," Ron hurriedly yelped.

"Good."

He was escorted out and told the password with the knowledge that, if he gave it to anybody – _anybody _– he'd be in more trouble than he'd ever been in.

Ron Weasley high-tailed it to the Gryffindor tower to inform Hermione of what happened.

– – –

Hermione was shocked, but she squealed and congratulated him. "Oh, I wish I could have been there! I would have loved to have seen Harry without the restrictions of glass."

Ron shook his head. "No, Hermione, it's a good thing you weren't there. He would have possibly attacked you – or both of us!"

"But Dean was there."

Ron frowned for a moment and then realized Dean _was _there. Dean was a muggleborn, too – meaning he didn't have any Creature blood and Harry should have thought of him as a threat.

"I guess he couldn't smell Dean," Ron decided. "And anyways, his rooms are _amazing._ Like, I'm super jealous."

He told her all about them, going into great detail just to make her laugh at his antics. It felt nice.

They walked together to dinner, where they met up with Dean and Neville. Rumors were running wild – rumors of a dominant forcing Harry or Seamus to mate with them, rumors that somebody had died, rumors that Harry was kidnapped and that's why he had been screaming and crying, though nobody could figure out why he hadn't tried to curse the kidnappers.

It was rather amusing, really.

– – –

December first dawned bright and early for Hogwarts, though that wasn't exactly supposed to happen. More than a foot of snow had fallen the previous night and it was cold, cold, cold – and of course the Sarkany were _not _happy about that.

"No!"

"Yes," the guard grumbled, grabbing the fleeing boy by the back of his coat. "We must go or we will be late."

The dominants had been carted out early that morning, leaving the submissives much safer than previously. Harry wanted to go to the Meeting, but he was _not _going into that snow. He'd have to be dragged kicking and screaming!

Of course, it wasn't _Harry_ who didn't like the snow. Sarkany weren't fond of cold temperatures and his was kicking up a temper tantrum in his head. The tantrum was terrible and made it hard to realize he was acting like a child, but he couldn't reign in control over the instinct. So he shrieked, loud and long, waking nearly the whole castle.

Seamus wasn't faring any better. When Harry began his shriek, Seamus picked it up, and both of them were screaming at the top of their lungs – Harry ran out of air first and let his guard down a little as he went to suck in some more. The guard who was assigned to getting him to the Meeting safely grabbed him as he let his guard down and plunged out into the snow.

Harry was shocked into silence. After a few minutes in the cold, it didn't really bother him, and he was happy again. He squirmed out of the guard's arms, laughing and pushing through the snow as if he'd never seen the fluffy white substance in his life. By the time they were out of Hogwarts' wards, Harry was soaked to the bone.

"I think he's getting ready to go into his first heat," said one guard to the next. "That would certainly explain his behavior the last few days."

Indeed, Harry had been behaving very oddly. He was having mood-swings, on minute throwing anything he could pick up and the next minute curling up next to you as if nothing had happened. He was also beginning to revert to a childlike nature, which was the surest of signs that he'd be going into heat.

It was a very good thing, then, that they were taking him to the Meeting. If he was unmated when he went into his first heat, his Sarkany would begin a Call that drove all unmated dominants crazy in their attempts to get to him. The guards could only hope he'd mate before that happened.

"Brrr," Harry laughed, looking up at the guards with bright eyes. Seamus and the rest of the guards joined them only seconds later. Harry didn't know where the rest of the submissives were – this was a Meeting for all Creatures and they should be coming, too – but he didn't ask, either. They had their own guards to take them places.

"You are a crazy child," one of the gruffer guards stated, shaking his head. Seamus silently agreed, watching his long-time friend with curious eyes. "We are apparating. Come."

One guard apparated, and then a second. The third had Harry, and the fourth Seamus, and then the last one apparated and all that was left was their tracks in the snow.

* * *

><p><em>Review!<em>

_In an attempt to garner more reviews, I'm going to start asking questions at the end like I do in TND. c:_

_New Question: What is your favorite Creature!Fic?_

_Next up: Meeting Mayhem._


	5. Meeting Mayhem

**_Hey guys! _  
><strong>_Maybe we can make it to 50 reviews this chapter? _

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you recognize. c:

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Five: Meeting Mayhem**

"Stand _still,_" the Official told Theodore. He was old and somewhat wrinkled, but there was an authority in his voice that made Theo do _exactly _as he said. The fidgeting stopped and he went stock still. He was near the middle of the line, which was organized by age. He was definitely not the only sixteen year old dominant, but he was one of the older ones. The line spanned from a twenty-eight year old at the very beginning to a boy who had just turned sixteen yesterday, looking a bit sore.

The Hall of Gathering was beautifully put together, dressed to make the Creatures more comfortable. It was warm but not _too _warm, walls painted a cream color and the plush carpeting on the floor was the same. The drapes that let just enough sunlight in were gold, as were the table-clothes on the small, round tables dotting the Hall. One one side of the Hall were two bathrooms, reading "Dominant Male" and "Dominant Female." On the opposite side of the Hall was "Submissive Male" and "Submissive Female"... the Officials would do anything to keep the submissives safe, even going as far as separating bathrooms.

"Alright, now, dominants. You know the rules," the Official called. The Hall was empty except for some guards at every entrance and the Official and dominants. "No interacting with the submissives until you are marked."

He checked his watch, a little worriedly. "We've got ten minutes before the others begin arriving! Into Creature form, dominants!" he ordered.

The dominants followed this order quickly. Theo spread his wings wide, proud, and then let them curl back in a little bit so the Veela next to him didn't accidentally chop them off.

"Beautiful," the Official beamed. "You! Button your shirt the rest of the way, we do not seduce submissives, we win them honorably!"

The man in question was in his early twenties, taller and broader than Theo. "Just showing off what could be theirs," he winked at someone further down the line.

"Oh, oh! We're getting closer!" the Official was babbling, running up and down the hall, straightening things here and there, making sure everything was perfect. A bell chimed and he stopped, walking along calmly to greet the families of the dominants and submissives.

Another bell chimed and the submissives swarmed in. Some of them were followed by a dominant, but Theo knew this to mean that they were Sarkany who needed more than one mate. The submissives grouped in the middle of the Hall and began a preening circle, getting to know each other.

_Bah! _Theo thought, wanting to squirm. _It's like they're drawing this out on purpose!_

He watched them silently, though, as they communicated in small coos and whispers, preening each other's hair and feathers and fur. He wondered how long that could possibly go on – just how long could you preen before there was nothing _left _to preen?

The answer was four hours.

Four _long _hours of the dominants watching the submissives and a low murmur in the back where the families sat, chatting amongst themselves.

And then one of the smaller Neko submissives whispered something into the ear of the Veela he was preening, and that Veela passed it to the one she was preening. The Neko turned and passed it to the person who was preening him, and the whisper was spread through the circle and met at the opposite side. A hush fell over them, and then, as one, they rose.

_Finally! _Theo thought, insides doing a dance.

They split up, noses in the air as the scented along, trying to find the one who would be their prospective mate. One by one, they passed Theo, whose hope was fading faster and faster. Then, an incredible scent filled his nose as a small, black-haired boy padding along the line. It was the same scent as at Hogwarts: citrus and vanilla, and so pure that it hurt. Theo could barely keep his hands from darting out to grab the boy, and had to dig his nails into his skin. He nearly drew blood.

Whereas most of the submissives started at the youngest and went to the oldest, he went backwards, heading toward the youngest. He faltered, though, just after passing Theo, and turned back around to face the brunette.

An itty-bitty smile spread across the boy's lips, and he darted forward to nuzzle his face into Theo's chest. Before Theo could say anything, the boy was gone – across the room.

Theo's heart just about burst.

_I've been marked!_

He knew what he was meant to do now, his Sarkany taking over: the chase. He was to follow the boy until the submissive was worn out to prove to the little thing that Theo wanted to be his mate. The chase was only the beginning, of course – he'd later have to prove he was strong enough to mate with the submissive, but that was later. He stepped down off of the dais, eyes searching for the little one who marked him.

There he was, in the back of the Hall, just waiting, that serene little smile on his lips. Theo was by his side in seconds.

"Hello," he murmured.

The boy just grinned brighter, eyes slitted, and took off again. Again, Theo caught up to him when he stopped near the front of the Hall.

"Hello," a second time.

It seemed the boy was not worn out yet – Theo hadn't expected him to be, though. He took off, and Theo chased, and the game went on.

Sixteen was the number of times Theo raced up and down the Hall. Sixteen was the number of times the boy darted away from him. But sixteen seemed to be enough: the boy wobbled unsteadily, yawning so hard that his jaw cracked, and marked him a second time.

"My name is Theodore," Theo whispered, sniffing around the boy's body, making sure there were no injuries. "Theodore Nott."

The boy's slitted eyes blinked once, twice, and then went back to normal. "Theodore," he whispered, as if testing the word.

"You can call me Theo," Theo offered, brushing the black hair out of the boy's eyes. He faltered when something was uncovered on the boy's forehead. A scar – lightning bolt shaped.

Admittedly, Theo had known that the Sarkany he scented in Hogwarts had to be either Harry Potter or Seamus Finnigan, and Seamus Finnigan did not have black hair or green eyes. It still surprised him, though, to get this confirmation. He traced the scar gently and the boy practically purred.

"And you're Harry Potter, no?" Theo smiled.

"Yes," Harry nodded, looking shyly up at Theo. "It took two guards to get me away from you when you showed up in November, you know."

"So you remember, then," Theo laughed, eyes sparkling. "Only two?"

"Two six-foot-eight guards," Harry amended. "One for my legs and one for my torso. I could hardly move. Did you hear me yelling for you?"

Theo shook his head slowly. "I didn't. Professor Snape pulled me into the dungeons almost immediately."

Harry's head only came to just below Theo's pectoral muscles, but when he leaned in to curl his arms around Theo, it felt right. They both sighed, and Theo petted Harry's hair.

"Show me your wings," Theo whispered. Harry did as he was asked, allowing his wings to unfurl from his back and his hair to lengthen. The wings, as Theo knew they would be, were the brightest white – so bright it hurt. "Such long hair," Theo nearly moaned. He ran his fingers through the hair, loving the feeling of it between his fingers.

"It's very long, I keep convincing myself to cut it a little bit but I just can't," Harry agreed, sweeping it all to one side of his head and parting it three ways, fingers swiftly beginning a braid. "I love how long it is, but it gets in the way."

Theo watched with interest as the braid was finished and a band from around Harry's wrist secured the end.

"I also love how long it is," Theo smirked darkly, pulling his hand down the braid easily.

Harry shivered, a giggle bubbling up through his lips as he turned and called, "Come get me!"

So it was back to that game again, was it? Theo didn't mind, though. He followed, laughing, watching the boy swirl around the room, evading Theo.

A few hours later, around five o'clock, Theo sat with his parents, watching Harry rejoin the preening circle. Dinner was being served, but Harry refused to come eat – in fact, it seemed like _all _of the submissives were refusing to eat. It made Theo frown, weren't they hungry? All of them had been running around like toddlers for hours, testing dominants...they should be hungry...

"Don't worry, Theodore," Theo's father, Samuel, murmured. "It's not unheard of for the submissives not to eat with the dominants. They are unsure. If they're hungry, they will be fed in their rooms tonight."

"That's four hours from now," Theo protested. "Surely they will be hungry long before that?"

"They will be," Samuel laughed quietly. "But as I said, they are unsure. Show me which one is the one who marked you."

Theo nodded toward the arch of the circle closest to them. "The one with the long black braid."

Sophia, Theo's mother, cooed quietly. "He would make a lovely addition to the family, dear. Such power."

Theo looked at her curiously. "Power?"

"Oh, yes, very powerful. I see him needing three, four mates," Sophia decided. Theo didn't say anything, but his Sarkany was roiling jealously – _no! He's mine! He will not have three or four or even two mates! _

Samuel must have seen something in Theo's eyes. "It is hard to understand right now, but I have heard that in cases where a submissive needs more than one mate, the dominant mates will become very close as well. But you will be jealous at first."

"More than jealous," Theo muttered, a rush of air coming out of his lungs. This was _Harry Potter. _The boy who had defeated Voldemort at age one, the boy who killed a Professor with his bare hands at eleven, who fought and was bit by a Basilisk at twelve, who took on one hundred or more Dementors at thirteen, battled a dragon and dueled Voldemort at fourteen, and touched the Veil of Death at fifteen... and was still alive and had no noticeable mental effects from it all. _Of course _he was powerful.

He tried to come to terms with this, but found he couldn't. He watched with hard eyes as Harry and another submissive, slightly taller than Harry, danced around the room. They switched partners and repeated the dance, and soon Harry was being passed from arm to arm. Theo clutched his knife in hand and realized his mistake immediately when he began bleeding.

"Do calm down, son," Samuel sighed, healing Theo easily.

The dance had come to an end and a slightly out-of-breath Harry was beckoning to Theo, not brave enough to come over to the table himself. He must have been unsure of Samuel and Sophia, Theo decided, and got up to join the smaller boy.

"What's wrong?" he wondered, caressing the boy's face.

Harry's eyes were surprisingly hard. They became slits, and his claws came out. Theo was not quite sure what he'd done until Harry lashed out and slashed him across the face.

His Sarkany went wild. _He is the submissive! You are the dominant! Show him who is the strong one!_

He growled, only once, a warning. Harry was stubborn though, and slashed the opposite cheek this time. He reached out and gouged Harry's shoulder and the boy cringed, stepping back and then launching himself with surprising power.

Guards were leading them out – it would not do for them to continue their fight where everyone could watch. No, because at the end of this fight, if Theo had won, they would be very, very intimate. They were mating. Or, rather, _had _mated – but it was a delicate bond that could be broken if Harry's Sarkany found him unfit. But if Theo won...they would be fully mated.

He did not like hurting the boy. No, the sounds that Harry made with every hit to his creamy skin just made Theo sick to his stomach. But Harry fought back in kind, and Theo knew that both would be very battered at the end of this fight...but he found he had the upper hand.

Harry was too trusting. It was a weakness Theo saw early on in the fight: he trusted that Theo was not going to be sneaky, and if Theo brought up one hand he thought that would definitely be the one he should dodge. Theo learned to make feigned attacks, bringing up one hand and lashing out with the other. Harry was now the one getting hurt more than not – bruises were blooming across his soft skin and blood trickled down from wounds that Theo's claws had made.

But he still fought back.

Theo found that the boy was very strong-willed. He would fight himself to unconsciousness, Theo thought, and knew he had to end this fight quickly. He grabbed one of Harry's arms, twisting it until the boy was forced to twirl or have his arm broken. He trapped both arms behind Harry's back and pressed him against the floor, waiting.

He waited for only ten seconds before the small body beneath him relaxed, the resistance ending.

Theo had won.

"Mmm, Theo," yawned the boy, trying to turn. "You're strong." Theo allowed him to roll over, allowed Harry to nuzzle up against him.

Theo tugged off Harry's shirt, and the boy gave a yelp of indignation before his instincts took over again.

There was no more struggling.

Theo had _won._

– – –

Theo felt his body drift into awareness early in the morning. It was around six or seven, probably. Something warm was curled into his side on the lush bed, and Theo blinked to see what it was. At the sight of a peacefully sleeping, bruised and battered Harry Potter, he remembered the night before.

A smile spread across his face and he buried himself in the blankets surrounding them until it seemed like the bed had swallowed the two of them. Harry tensed and gave a coo in his sleep and Theo responded with rumble in his chest, making the boy relax again. Their Sarkany were communicating! It was all too much for Theo, and he felt he was going to burst in joy if he did not do something and soon. He didn't know what to do, though, so pressed his face against Harry's shoulder and tried not to shout out.

Harry stirred around an hour after Theo, green eyes blinking as he struggled to remember where he was and what had happened. Theo heard him whimper and shushed him gently.

"Don't move around too much," Theo whispered. "You are likely in a lot of pain."

"Wha-" a yawn interrupted his speech. "What happened?"

"Your Sarkany approved of me so we fought to see if I was a strong enough mate. I won, and your Sarkany accepted mine...and then we-"

"Don't say it!" Harry pleaded, squirming around and trying to get out of bed. He seemed very embarrassed and lost. "Oh, I'm not even wearing any... this is so crazy! I don't even... where are my things, I need my..."

Theo watched him with narrowed eyes. "Calm down," he murmured, stretching languidly. Harry glanced at him and then averted his eyes, blush spreading over his cheeks. "Are you unhappy?"

"I don't know, I can't... we don't even know... but I think I'm-"

"Calm down!" Theo cried.

Harry screwed up his face and realized what was wrong. "Oh, I see – I'm sorry. I sometimes...can't finish my thoughts. I mean, I finish them in my head, but they just don't..make their way through my mouth."

Theo's nodded slowly in understanding. "Come here. I want to hold you," he mumbled, yawning.

Harry shook his head quickly. "I want clothes."

There was a knock on the door and Harry dove into the bed, crying out lowly with pain. Theo wrapped his lower half in a sheet and slipped _out _of the bed, going to answer the door.

It was a mediwitch and a guard, who had their things.

"Come in," he murmured kindly, opening the door further. Harry gave a happy cry when he saw his bag, which Theo took over to him.

"I'm here to heal you," the mediwitch smiled. "And administer Pain Potions."

Harry shrunk away from her with a look of unease. Theo ended up having to hold him down so that the mediwitch could heal him properly, but the boy squirmed and squirmed.

"Enough," Theo growled. Harry stilled for a moment, and then squirmed a little more. "Harry..."

The mediwitch was finished and moved on to Theo. Harry pulled clothing out of his bag, searching for something to wear. When the mediwitch was gone, Theo pressed Harry back into the bed.

"I am your dominant and you will listen to me," he whispered, voice rough. "When I say 'enough', I mean _enough._"

"You don't have power over me!" Harry shouted, wiggling away. "I have power over me!"

Theo twisted him around and gave him one sharp smack on the bottom – which was still naked. Harry gave a soft cry and wriggled out of Theo's grip, eyes big. Harry seemed very shocked – that Theo had punished him, maybe? – and retained his distance, dressing while watching Theo with cautious eyes.

When he was finished dressing, he stayed on the far side of the bed. Theo sighed, fed up with this behavior.

"You obviously do not know much about Sarkany, little one. Dominants have the right to punish submissives if they are doing wrong," Theo said, as gently as he could.

Harry glanced up, almost terrified. "W-what?"

"Why are you so scared?" Theo demanded. "It is not as if I will hurt you or – or even punish you for every little thing."

Harry chewed his lip. "You hit me for being afraid of a mediwitch."

"No, I spanked you for not listening to me," Theo corrected.

Harry shook his head, frustrated. "I don't care! You can't just hit me whenever I do something you don't like!"

Theo narrowed his eyes.

"I don't want a mate if they can do that! I don't want one!"

"Calm down!" Theo shouted over the raising temper tantrum.

"NO! I don't want you as my mate!" Harry yelled. Theo stood and began to walk towards his angry mate, trying to comfort him. Instead, something was thrown at him – and then another something – everything within Harry's reach was being tossed with surprising strength right at Theo's stomach.

Before he could recover from having two lamps, three glasses, several pillows, and a suitcase thrown at him, knocking the air out of his lungs, Harry was sobbing.

Sobbing!

Theo watched with big eyes as his mate switched from anger to sadness, not knowing what was happening. Tentatively, he moved toward Harry again and this time was not stopped. He swept Harry into his arms, nuzzling gently, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. After a few minutes of his nuzzling, Harry became receptive, tears drying and arms winding around his shoulders, cuddling him back.

Theo was left to ask himself: what the _hell?_

* * *

><p>Yay for mood-swinging Harry. xD<p>

Last chapter: Obviously my favorite Creature!Fic is The Rise of the Drackens by StarLight Massacre. But coming in close second is Arcane Academy. x)

New Question: What's your favorite kind of fanfic!Harry? (i.e, dark!Harry, smart!Harry, shy!Harry, independent!Harry, and so on)

Can we make it to 50 reviews?

NEXT: Gears Grinding.

~Kymmie


	6. Gears Grinding

Heyya. c: 50 Review Milestone! Maybe we can reach 75 next?

Wow, I've never had this happen before. Either a story will go BOOM and just get tons of reviews or just totally flop. But this story SEEMS to want to take off, then stunts again, and then takes off...xD

Anywayyys! Don't worry, Theo learned his lesson ;3 And I think this chapter will get some of your questions answered.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you recognize. c:

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Six: Gears Grinding**

The newly mated duo only had a few hours to themselves before Harry was missed. As a submissive, his location was monitored at Meetings every few hours just to make sure he was still safe. It seemed that, when Harry had started the second stage of the mating process, they allowed themselves to lose track of him for privacy reasons.

Be that as it may, the first Official came at ten in the morning, knocking at the door. Their privacy was officially shattered the moment Theo stood, leaving his sated mate on the bed to nuzzle down in the warm spot he'd left behind, and opened the door.

"Ah! Boys! I see you've finished the process, of course I hadn't any doubts, when you chose each other so quickly!"

Theo wondered if every Official was just as annoying as the first one he'd met yesterday morning, because they all seemed awfully boisterous and nosy. Maybe it was a characteristic you had to have to become and Official...

"Is there something you need?" Theo asked coldly.

"Yes, yes, but first," the Official drew out the vowel in 'first', making it 'f_iiiirst', _which was even more annoying than his constant shouting. "I am Official Claudiu. Have your rooms been suitable?"

Theo glared at the man. "They have been fine. We are trying to bask in the post-mating state, so if you would hurry your visit along..."

"Right, right!" Official Claudiu cheered. "I'm just here to scan your mate – a simple power scan – and then we will decide what to do from there."

Harry was arranged carefully on the bed, though his eyes screamed that he wanted to be anywhere else. The wand tip pointed directly over his heart, waved in a large, sideways figure eight, and came to a stop over his heart again. A faint glowing started and the wand traveled the same path a second, and then a third time, before the glowing took up a quite peculiar bright red color. Theo cocked his head and wondered what the glowing could mean.

"Amazing," Official Claudiu whispered. "You have got yourself one powerful mate, young one," he murmured to Theo, eyes large.

"Powerful? How powerful?" Theo asked, chewing his lip worriedly.

"Much more powerful than one would guess at first glance," Official Claudiu responded. "He will need, most likely, three more mates. Two to conceive children and the third to ground his magic."

Jealousy flared in Theo, but he bit it back. He _wanted _children – many children – and if he needed to allow his mate a third or a fourth dominant in order to get those children, then by all means, he would. It was just a little bit terrifying – now he knew how submissives felt, waiting for the moment when their Sarkany would choose someone who would change their life forever. Theo had absolutely no choice in this matter. It was all up to Harry's Sarkany and, to some extent, Harry himself... but the Sarkany always got the last say.

"Now what?" Harry whispered, a bit frightened.

"Now you have a few choices, naturally," Official Claudiu murmured, an attempt at soothing the small submissive. "One, you can choose to leave now for bonding time with your first mate, and go to the next Sarkany Meeting – in Egypt in February. Of course, doing this, you would miss out on the Sarkany Flame. You could choose to rejoin the rest of the submissives tomorrow morning and continue on with this Meeting, or you could choose to do both. Finish this Meeting and go to the next Meeting."

A thrill went through Harry at the words _Sarkany Flame. _He wasn't sure quite what it was, but his interest was piqued and he wanted to know about it. None of the books he'd read had said anything about a Flame, and definitely not_ 'the Sarkany Flame'. _It sounded like a big deal.

"What's that?" he demanded.

Official Claudiu blinked at him. "What's what?"

"The Flame thinger."

A laugh bubbled up out of Theo's chest. "The Sarkany Flame, Harry. It's a tradition that, each December tenth, the Flame is brought out and Sarkany couples mated within the year wish upon it."

Harry's interest was gone. He didn't put hopes in wishes and dreams, really, because what had he wished for that truly happened?

"Well, that's silly," he stated, truthfully.

"Not really," Official Claudiu smiled gently. "Legend has it that one wish is granted per year. Usually the wish doesn't come out as planned, of course – wishes for wealth granted as wealth in family and friends, wishes for peace granted by a quiet child."

Harry frowned. One wish was granted per year, supposedly, but wasn't that against magical rules? Or maybe...not? What if the wish that was granted was something terrible – endless power, for example, or a breach in the wards of Azkaban, or the death of an enemy? It didn't sound very safe to _him, _but again, he wasn't well-versed in the magical world.

"Traditionally newly mated couples wish for large, healthy families," Theo added, smiling as if he knew what Harry was thinking of. "Or a peaceful union between their two families."

Harry smiled lightly. "Is that what we'll wish for, then? A large, healthy family?"

He'd always wanted a big family – of course, he'd always pictured himself with a wife and children, not a male mate and chicks. Or, he corrected himself, _four _mates and chicks. Four mates! It was almost painful to think about – would he have to fight all of them? His Sarkany hissed _yes _and he groaned mentally. Of course, the aftermath hadn't been that bad... well, except for waking up naked next to someone you barely know.

Harry's face heated with these thoughts, and Theo chuckled.

"So you'll be rejoining us tomorrow morning, then?" Official Claudiu asked, looking between the two of them.

"That sounds reasonable," Theo agreed, crawling onto the bed with Harry. "Now leave us be, please."

Official Claudiu nodded respectfully and slipped out of the room, door shutting with an easy _click_ behind him. Theo nuzzled his mate's neck, nipping gently.

"Do you want chicks, Harry?" he asked, quiet, almost unsure. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Harry said _'no'_, because honestly Theo had always wanted chicks – and lots of them. He wanted a whole houseful of the little buggers, running and screaming and tears and all. It had always been a dream of his to have children, little girls with braided pigtails and little boys with plastic dragons, sending them off to Hogwarts when they turned eleven and attending their weddings, being their confidant, everything. Even when they were in their sticky-fingered, drooling, nappy phases.

Harry rolled onto his belly and looked up at Theo, smiling. Though his Sarkany screamed, _yes, yes, yes! We want dozens of chicks!, _he knew that this was a question of what his _human _side wanted. He pushed the Sarkany down irritably. "I do. I want four."

"Just four?" Theo wondered, rubbing Harry's lower back. "I want...ten."

"_Ten?_" Harry laughed. "Then you can carry them."

Theo laughed at the absurdity. "I can't! Dominants can't get pregnant," he teased, leaning forward to touch his nose to Harry's. When he pulled away, the boy was thoughtful.

"I've always sort of wanted a big family," Harry murmured. "Because, you know, I grew up with just my Aunt and Uncle and cousin, and they didn't really like me much. Is it a bad thing that I'm almost excited that I need three more mates?"

The question was something he hadn't meant to slip out. His belly tightened with nerves, but really – nervousness and excitement were really the same emotion, it was just how your perceived it. If Harry looked at it the right way, he wasn't _frightened _about having three more mates, he was _impatient, _he couldn't wait for three more people to like him just because of _him._ They couldn't just choose him for his name – hell, if the last time was any measure, they wouldn't even know his name until they'd worn him out chasing him all over the place.

Theo laughed. Harry found he liked this sound, a kind of breezy little chuckle that escaped from those lips. It wasn't particularly loud nor soft, just... _there._

"I don't think it's a bad thing, no. But I am a bit jealous and scared, I admit."

Harry cocked his head. "Why?"

Theo brushed his thumb down Harry's lips, then caressed the side of his face. "Jealous because I've barely had any time with just you, and now I'm going to have to allow three other people to touch you in order for us to conceive children and for you not to go insane with power. Scared because I have to stand by and watch while some other bloke beats the hell out of you, not allowed to stop them."

Harry heard Theo's voice break in the middle of his admission, and curled against him quietly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Theo sounded genuinely heartbroken that he'd have to watch that – that Harry would have to go _through _that again. It almost hurt to hope that Theo actually liked him enough to be upset that Harry would get hurt.

"You don't have any choice in the matter," Theo admonished. "So there is nothing to be sorry for."

"I still am, though," Harry whispered, as if talking any louder would break him.

"You are channeling your inner muggle," Theo rolled his eyes. "Only muggles apologize for things they had no hand in."

"It's an expression of sympathy," Harry protested.

"Either way, it's still foolish."

Harry pushed himself up and touched his nose to Theo's, laughing quietly. "Let's do something fun," he said, eyes bright. "Let's go...build a snowman!"

Theo wrinkled his nose. "You want to go outside in this weather?"

"Yes!" Harry beamed. "Besides, it's rather stuffy in here, don't you think?"

Theo _didn't _think so, not really, but he looked at Harry with raised eyebrows. Moodswings, his somewhat childish exterior, the fact that he thought it was 'rather stuffy' inside and wanting to go _outside, _where it was colder... that all pointed to one thing. Theo shifted almost uncomfortably.

"Harry, are you going into heat?" he asked, as delicately as he could. Harry blushed a little and his eyebrows drew together.

"What? No, I haven't gone into heat at all since I came into my Inheritance."

Theo hummed. "Your birthday is at the end of July. It's only been around five months, and after your Inheritance, it usually takes about six months before you've settled down enough to go into your first heat. After that, it usually happens every two or three months – depending on the submissive. I do believe we can expect you to go into heat quite soon."

Harry bit his lip, then shrugged. "If you say so. Come on, I want to go outside!"

– – –

Theo was rather taken with his mate. Harry was just adorable, really, and so sweet on top of it all. Theo watched him popping around in the snow, leaving little indents where he had paused, romping around like a little puppy. The weather was not something Theo was fond of, however – it was cold, cold, _cold._ How Harry could like it was beyond him.

"You're going to catch a cold," he called, worriedly, trying to get Harry to stop burying himself in the white fluff.

"No, I'm not," Harry giggled wildly, packing a snowball into his hands. At first Theo thought he was going to throw it, but instead he began to roll it through the snow, making it bigger and bigger. He peered at Harry warily, wondering what on Earth he could be doing.

When Harry deemed the ball big enough, he repeated the process, making the second ball a bit smaller than and struggling to place it on top of the first. Theo helped him, then raised his eyebrows.

"What are you doing?"

"Making a snowman," Harry replied in a cheeky voice, dropping to his knees again and making another ball. "This one's the head."

Harry was too short to reach to place this one on, so Theo did it for him. The boy immediately began to root around and Theo saw that he was looking for branches, which he then placed in either side of the middle ball.

"Arms," he cheered. "I don't have anything for his face, though, so he'll have to go without."

"You're so silly," Theo laughed. "Come on, let's go inside. You're shivering."

Back in their rooms, lunch was brought – apparently they hadn't been inside for breakfast, and both of them were ravenous. Harry pressed his cold nose into the crook between Theo's neck and shoulder, laughing when the other boy jumped.

"Eat," Theo ordered. "You didn't eat anything yesterday."

Harry frowned. "I ate breakfast."

"Still, you didn't eat breakfast today, or lunch or dinner yesterday. Eat," Theo repeated, and Harry sighed but went about sipping his soup quietly.

Theo, worried he'd upset his little mate, eyed him carefully. After a moment, Harry looked up at him with those bright eyes, smiling.

"Will we go to Egypt in February?" he wondered. "I've always wanted to go."

"Then we'll go," Theo grinned at the boy. "Egypt is wonderful, maybe we can make a whole holiday of it. I'll take you to see the Pyramids."

"Ron's brother works in Egypt as a curse-breaker," Harry stated. "Maybe he can give us a tour?"

Theo plopped a kiss on Harry's slightly damp hair. "Whatever you want."

Harry hummed happily and curled his fingers into Theo's shirt, as if afraid that Theo would leave. With the other hand, he finished sipping the broth out of his soup and then set it on the table, picking up his spoon to fish the vegetables and chicken out.

"My parents will want to meet you," Theo stated after a few moments of silence. "They thought you would be a lovely addition to the family. My mother even predicted how many mates you would need."

Harry frowned up at him. "Do I have to?"

"Meet them?" Theo questioned, brows drawing together. "Of course. Don't you want to?"

Harry shrugged uncomfortably, curling against the bigger boy. "I just feel like too many things have changed in such a short amount of time."

Theo made a deep, comforting rumble in his chest and Harry responded with a sleepy coo. "We can avoid them for a little longer, I suppose, though I highly doubt we'll be able to put it off much past the tenth."

As luck would have it, they couldn't put it off past the third. When the bell chimed for the submissives to enter the room, he and Harry entered quietly. Very few other submissives who had already mated needed a second, but it seemed Harry's friend Seamus Finnigan was among the three who did. Harry, Seamus, and the other Sarkany – a little blond female named Angela – stuck close together while Theo and the other two dominants trailed at a respectful distance.

They had barely made it through the door, however, when Sophia and Samuel Nott showed up, congratulating both Harry and Theo. They were then forcefully, though gently, pried apart from the rest of the group and pulled to a table.

"You're darling, love," Sophia cooed to Harry, fawning over him. "Your chicks will just be gorgeous, I can see it now!"

"Mother, you're scaring him," Theo sighed, swatting his mother's fingers away from his mate's face. "Harry, meet Samuel and Sophia Nott. Mother, father, meet Harry Potter."

His father's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and then lifted Harry's hand to kiss his knuckles. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter, and I must say...you are a delightful match for my son."

Theo wasn't having it. "If you'll excuse us, however, Harry needs to be getting to the other submissives. He has three more mates to find."

He tugged Harry up and out of his parents' reach, apologizing softly in the boy's ear, but Harry wasn't all that upset.

"Better to be introduced quickly, so they don't think I don't want to meet them," Harry sighed. Theo patted his head with a little smile as they rejoined the other submissives, wondering what the end of today would bring them.

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><p>Okay!<p>

Last Chapter: My favorite fanfic!Harry would have to be smart!shy!Harry. c: Dominant!Harry (in m/m situations) actually squicks me...xD

NEW QUESTION: Do you think this story would be better suited as Friendship/Romance instead of Friendship/Family? Annnnnd... what is your favorite color...NAILPOLISH? (if you don't wear nailpolish, just tell me your favorite color xD)

NEXT CHAPTER: First Fire...

Kymmie


	7. First Fire

_A/N: Wooops. Missed a day. Or two? Was it two days? Sorry. D: I think you guys might like this chapter. I know that it seems things are moving along super quickly, but I think it'll slow down a bit after this... _

_DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything you recognize. c:_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Seven: First Fire**

Theo listened to Seamus and Harry's conversation with the air of a protector. Together, the duo was playful and cheery – they avoided topics that might cause stress, such as their new mates or even their Creature blood. They talked of school ("Snape's not happy that we're missing ten whole days!") and other friends ("Have you talked to Dean lately?"), family, pets, and a handful of other mundane things that they somehow made interesting. Whenever Seamus would veer too close to the unmated dominants, his dominant would catch him round the waist and pull him backwards. Seamus seemed exasperated over this, but said nothing – likely he'd realized that the man was one of the more protective types.

Seamus' dominant didn't speak at all the whole time, and neither did Theo. They would not be allowed to interfere right now, when the submissives were scenting for their second (and in Seamus' case, last) dominants. Harry was rather flighty, observing dominants here and there and then darting to the other side as if he'd smelled something incredibly amazing.

More dominants had arrived since last night and now the line spread halfway around the room, the oldest in his late thirties. There was even a female dominant amongst them now, and that was a rare feat – especially since female dominants were not as well-liked as female submissives. Most male submissives were gay, and few female submissives were gay, so it made for a tough life as a female dominant. Most of the time female dominants ended up with male dominants, even though both would always long for a submissive mate.

Theo obediently trailed behind his mate wherever the boy went, keeping his eyes on the boy at all times. Harry seemed to take great amusement in bringing Theo all the way to one side of the line and then darting to the other side, seeing how far he could get before Theo was right behind him again. Theo found this game somewhat annoying, but knew that Harry couldn't control his childish habits this close to the heat.

It also seemed as if the boy wasn't even scenting. At all. Without scenting, you have little chance of finding your mate – which means that walking up and down this line was pretty much pointless. Finally fed up with it, Theo grabbed Harry's elbow and looked sternly down at him.

"I thought we agreed you'd be searching for your second mate, Harry?" he asked, gently. Though the unmated dominants were not allowed to touch his submissive without his submissive marking them, they _were _allowed to beat the hell out of Theo if they thought he was harming his mate. He didn't fancy having almost one hundred dominants beating him up.

"I– what do you mean?" Harry replied, a little nervously.

"You have to scent them, baby."

Harry didn't like this nickname. Theo could see it in his eyes: the defiant gleam that told him Harry wanted nothing more than to shout that he was not a baby. But Theo felt the need to nickname his mate and that was the first thing that had come to his mind – right after 'love', but it was too soon to claim he was in love, even if they were mated for good now. He'd have to try a different one.

Harry's eyebrows drew together and he nodded, head tilting backwards as he stuck his nose into the air. After a few sniffs, his eyes slitted and instinct took over, doing the job for him.

So he was learning, then.

The boy took his time, wandering along the sixteen year old dominants. When he didn't find any who he was compatible with, he traipsed to the seventeen year old and then the eighteen year old lots. Shaking his head in irritation, Theo realized they'd be going all the way around the room at this rate.

Luck held out for him, though: Harry stopped in front of a man who appeared to be around twenty one who was two or three inches taller than Theo. Harry whined low in his throat, almost keening, unsure. Theo felt himself responding even though he didn't know just _what_ he was responding to – but both of their Sarkany must have, because Harry cocked his head to the right, a move Theo was beginning to relate with the boy's curiosity.

Theo took a moment to examine the man they were standing in front of. He was probably 6'5, his wings a curious royal purple color. His eyes, such a light blue they were almost colorless, seemed to reflect this color, giving him an unreal look. His blond hair was styled in that purposefully messy look, gelled to stay in place, and his face looked accustomed to laughter. As it was, he stared right back at Harry and a spark of amusement lit in those eyes. He was broader than Theo, wrapped in muscle – and vaguely, Theo remembered him as the one who had had one too many buttons undone the first day of the Meeting.

Harry whined again, glancing at Theo, a searching look in those slitted eyes. Theo nodded once in confirmation – an involuntary move that he regretted almost instantly as Harry slipped forward to nuzzle the man's belly.

It was hard to watch Harry slide away, across the room, with the man following immediately. Theo was rooted to the place with something akin to terror and jealousy roiling in his stomach, but try as he might, his Sarkany would not let him interrupt this delicate game.

The man was quick on his feet, catching up to Harry nearly before the boy had time to get away – Harry tried to up his chase, becoming a little ball of energy as he practically flew across the room, but the man was fast. He had the muscles of a runner, overtaking Harry with ease. This made the smaller boy a bit angry, but he turned and pushed on the man's chest and told him, "Okay! You win!"

Theo could move again. He found himself at Harry side before he'd even moved, growling threateningly at the man, wings spread wide.

"Theo!" Harry admonished, scowling prettily.

"Are you hurt?" Theo asked, snuffling around Harry's neck and shoulders. Harry pushed him away, frowning.

"Be nice," Harry pouted.

The man laughed. "This your mate, kid?"

Harry brightened at the sound of the man's voice, turning to nuzzle against him. "Yeah. He's Theo."

"Nice to meet you, Theo. I hope you don't mind your mate has his sights set on me," the blond man winked dramatically, rubbing the back of Harry's neck. "What's your name, cutie?"

"Mm, Harry," Harry purred, head hanging in order to give the man more room to touch his neck. "Harry Potter."

Hands jerked back, feet jumped backwards, and then he was back in front of Harry again. "What! No way, really?"

Harry scowled, shuffling backwards. "Yes, really, I wouldn't lie about who I am."

"I was just – I was just surprised," the man stated, eyes blinking rapidly. "Harry Potter marked me! Who'd 'a thought?"

Harry turned into the comfort of Theo's arms though, ignoring the man.

"I'm Ian Lowell. Sebastian, really, but everyone just calls me Ian," Ian chattered. When Harry was unresponsive, his cheery demeanor faded and he frowned. "Did I ….do something?"

Theo snorted. "A severe understatement. Take a moment to consider: if you were famous, would you want a mate who liked you more because you were famous?"

Ian looked at the ground. "I take it he is through with my marking period."

There's silence for a moment. Ian just looked so heartbroken and Theo wondered how many unsuccessful Meetings it took for one to gain that look: seven, eight? There were often four Sarkany Meetings a year, added to the December Meeting that would be five. Five a year since Ian was sixteen... at least twenty Meetings. Twenty unsuccessful ones. Maybe more, if he was older than twenty – and Theo had a feeling he was.

The silence ran on and Ian turned, beginning to head back to the dominant's dais. Harry squirmed in Theo's arms and called a muffled,

"Wait!"

Theo looked down in surprise, he honestly hadn't expected Harry to give Ian a second chance – from what he knew about the boy (which was little, though much more than Ian knew), he did not look at himself as famous and hated any indication that he was. But the boy was forgiving, a little too forgiving in Theo's opinion...or maybe Theo was just biased.

Hope flared wildly in those liquid, almost-colorless eyes.

"Ian," Harry tested the word, let it fall off his tongue, and Theo knew the younger boy was hopelessly lost already.

_Merlin help us all._

– – –

Harry progressed slower with Ian than he had with Theo. With Theo, it was instinctive, blunt and bland, as if they'd known all along they were destined for each other. It had been somewhat rushed, a bump of the hands here, a nuzzle there, their emotions riding high enough for them to mate near immediately. It probably didn't help that they'd first scented each other at school in November...

But with Ian, it seemed like Harry was savoring things. The trio sat together on a couch that nobody else was occupying, chatting simply about whatever their minds drifted to. Harry traced the lines on Ian's hands, joining in on the conversation whenever he felt fit to.

"You go to the same school?" Ian questioned, surprised.

"Yes," Theo responded, lacing his fingers through Harry's hair. The boy had his head in Theo's lap, his feet in Ian's, and Ian's hand in his. "We've been acquaintances for five or six years now."

"So you know each other well?" Ian murmured, a little envious.

"Not really," Harry chirped. "Theo is Slytherin and I'm Gryffindor, and Slytherins and Gryffindors are rivals. Not to mention his best mate hates my guts, so we've pretty much avoided each other unless absolutely necessary."

Theo snorted. "Draco does not hate you."

"He acts like it," Harry responded, rolling his shoulders. "Last year he hexed me every chance he got."

"Appearances," Theo blew it off. "He won't be hexing you anymore."

"I'll hex him back," Harry grinned, and Ian smirked.

"A little crush, maybe?"

"Eeew," Harry giggled, wrinkling his nose and sitting up. "No way. Besides, isn't that him over there with the Veela submissive?"

Theo looked and confirmed this, snickering. Draco was hopelessly head-over-heels, fawning over the angelic girl, trying to make her pay more attention to him. She didn't – it was her loss, really. What a Malfoy values as his got only the best treatment. If Theo had been a submissive and a Veela, he would have gladly accepted Draco Malfoy as his mate.

"Tell me about your school," Ian demanded. Theo glanced at him briefly to see the blond was weary and almost wistful. "I've heard Hogwarts is the best school for Witches and Wizards. I went to Salem, of course, nearly every American does."

Harry wove wonderful – and frightening – tales of his years at Hogwarts, going into particular detail whenever his friends would pop up. He seemed very fond of Hermione and Ron, whom he had been friends with since October of 1991. Theo knew they were close, but the extent of that closeness was amazing to him.

"What! I heard rumors of that club last year, but I didn't really believe them," Theo cried, and Harry giggled.

"I was quite the teacher, if I do say so myself. Taught about two dozen kids to preform the Patronus."

"_I_ don't even know how to do that," Ian said enviously.

Theo could feel Harry's sadness when he told Ian of his escapades at the Ministry last June. How his friends had shamelessly followed him into battle, not once even thinking about leaving his side through the whole ordeal.

"Bloody Gryffindors, always rushing into things without thinking them all the way through," Theo teased, trying to keep Harry from getting upset.

"Hey, there was a Ravenclaw with us!" Harry pouted, and Theo bent down to kiss his lower lip. He quickly pulled away, not lingering, because he _felt _Ian staring at them. It was disconcerting.

"Loony Luna Lovegood does not count," Theo smirked.

"Don't call her that," Harry warned, eyes darkening. Theo put his hands in the air.

"Sorry, sorry."

Ian badgered them about the more famous parts of Hogwarts: was the Forbidden Forest really dangerous? ("Yeah, there are Centaurs and Acromantulas and such in it."), did the Black Lake really have merfolk? ("Definitely, and they are _mean._") Were there really ghosts at Hogwarts? Did the staircases really move?

He seemed so interested that Theo couldn't help but butt in, "You're a _wizard, _why do these things surprise you?"

Ian shrugged. "Because Salem was a lot stricter and left a lot less room for adventures. After classes we had to go straight to either the library or our dormitories, and lights out was at exactly eight o'clock – the halls are charmed to alert the teachers if there's anybody out of bed."

"Ouch," Theo winced, and Harry seemed very sympathetic.

"So you've never sneaked out of bed to go meet up with your friends on the grounds?" he asked. "That's the best part _of_ school."

"Maybe for rule-breakers," Theo teased, and Ian let out a loud guffaw.

The third day ended with the large blond man kissing Harry's hair and departing with the rest of the unmated dominants. Theo and Harry went the opposite way, going toward their rooms.

It was around ten or eleven when Harry's body temperature spiked from 96 degrees to 108, high enough to kill a human being.

Harry's first heat had finally come.

– – –

Five days later, the duo gained their human minds back. Theo was awoken by the grumbling in his stomach that alerted him to the fact that he hadn't eaten since Harry's heat began. At first he thought this was the only thing that had woke him up, and then he heard the knocking on the door. With a sigh, he looked around for some clothing – his pants had apparently gotten in the way and were shredded.

He shrugged on some muggle jeans, which were much more comfortable than the trousers wizards wear, and popped open the door after making sure Harry was covered up.

Official Claudiu smiled gently at him, a tray of breakfast food in his arms and a mediwitch behind him. "Good morning, Mr. Nott," he beamed clearly. "How are you feeling?"

_Tired as hell,_ Theo wanted to say, but refrained. "A little dizzy," he admitted.

The mediwitch tutted and pushed her way through, feeling Theo's forehead. "The first heat is always the hardest, I say!" she pursed her lips, handing him a potion. "But it will be much worse for your little mate, I promise you."

"What day is it?" Theo asked, downing the potion in one go. It tasted disgusting but his head immediately cleared, dizziness leaving him.

"December 9th," Official Claudiu chirped, setting the tray of food on the small table that occupied one corner of the room.

Theo forced himself to do some math. "The heat ended on the eighth," he stated, rolling his stiff shoulders.

"Yes, but it wore both of you out. You slept most of yesterday and I have no doubt that your mate will sleep for most of today," Official Claudiu replied, watching Theo begin to eat. "I brought the mediwitch in to heal him while he's asleep so he won't have to suffer."

Theo glanced behind him, looking at Harry's form. Though he was usually a pretty active sleeper, curling and uncurling his body, rolling from one side to the other, the boy was completely still. If it weren't for the rise and fall of his chest, Theo would have thought him dead. His cheek had one small bruise on it, and Theo could see his shoulders had bite marks and scratches and Merlin only knew what littered his chest and abdomen.

"Be careful," he said. "If you wake him up, I won't refrain from smacking you silly."

This made the mediwitch's lips quirk, but she went about doing her job quietly. Theo watched protectively, not interfering, muscles tense in preparation to fling the woman away from his mate.

"Will you be up to rejoining us tomorrow?" Official Claudiu questioned lightly, hands clasped.

"I suppose," Theo nodded. "Harry still has to decide whether or not he is going to mate to that Ian man."

"Sebastian Lowell?" the Official murmured. "A good choice, I say!"

"Has anybody else claimed him already?" Theo demanded.

"Not that I know of."

Theo glared a little but said nothing.

"You and Mr. Potter are fourth in line to use the Sarkany Flame," Official Claudiu stated. "And then you can go about your day as normal tomorrow."

"Thank you for informing me."

Theo joined Harry in the bed once both the mediwitch and the Official had left. He pulled Harry on top of him, cuddling him close into his arms.

"My baby," he murmured in the smallest voice possible, kissing Harry's hair and settling in to wait for the boy to wake up.

* * *

><p>Do you like Ian? o: I doo. I like his purple wings<p>

REVIEW! C:

Last Chapter: ...uhoh what did I ask...oh yeah. Lime green or sky blue, methinks. c:

NEW QUESTION: Pretend you were the author of this story. Make up Harry's first baby. (i.e, name it, give it a gender, describe it...)

(I already know what Harry's first baby is going to be like, I just want to see your take. xD)

NEXT: The Wish

~Kymmie


	8. The Wish

_A/N: Hey, y'all! Thanks for all of your descriptions of Harry's first baby. xD I think you guys might be a little psychic because soooomeee of you got startlingly close. Also, don't worry about how fast this is going...there will be character building time soon in which we'll get to see more of what Ian's like._

**DISCLAIMER:** _I don't own anything you recognize. c:_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Eight: The Wish**

Harry woke up late that night, long after Theo had decided to dress him in some pajamas after remembering his reaction to waking up naked last time. Soon, Theo hoped, the boy would get over that – really, they were mated for life, practically. The boy was only too happy to accept the food a guard had brought three hours earlier under a stasis charm.

The rest of the night was spent with Harry dozing drowsily, not quite sleeping but definitely not awake. Morning dawned on December tenth bright and early for Theo, who had not slept either. Both boys had struggled into acceptable clothing for being seen in public before a guard arrived to escort them to the Hall.

The tenth – and last – day of the Winter Meeting was always different from the other days: at the beginning, the only ones standing were the couples who had mated that since December 11 of last year. Harry and Theo, of course, were among them, fourth in the long line.

Though many mated couples decided not to come and wish upon the Sarkany Flame, there were still a great many who did. The line wrapped around the whole Hall, which was built to contain thousands of people.

The Sarkany Flame ended up being a smooth, round stone. It was about the size of Theo's fist and covered in runes. When the first couple made their wish, it lit up in the tallest, brightest orange flame Theo had ever seen – and then extinguished again. This seemed to be normal, because the second couple didn't question it and made their wish, too. The flame lit up and then went out, and Theo decided it was supposed to happen that way.

When Theo and Harry arrived at the stone, Harry looked at Theo uncertainly. Theo bit his lip and then made the wish they'd agreed upon early in the Meeting:

"Sarkany Flame, let our family be large and healthy."

There was a roar as the flame jumped, nearly touching the ceiling. Theo shoved Harry behind him, ducking out of the way as a tongue of the fire curled out from the main stream.

The flame did not go out. Whispers broke out from the crowd, but Theo ignored them, pulling Harry to sit at a table with him. The rest of the mated couples began making their wishes as Theo snuffled around Harry's body, making sure he was alright.

"Ugh – why do you always do that?" Harry demanded, pushing Theo's face away.

"Dominant Sarkany can smell injuries," Theo responded, and went back to what he was doing. "I don't think you got hurt."

"You could have just asked me, instead of wasting your time like that," Harry snorted, leaning up to brush his nose against Theo's. "You're silly sometimes."

Theo smiled and petted his mate's hair, sighing. "What are we going to do when we get back to Hogwarts tomorrow morning?"

Harry cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "Move your things into my quarters and then pretend we never left."

Theo chuckled. "I mean about school."

"Oh, that," Harry rolled his shoulders. "What we did before."

"Before your Inheritance?" Theo muttered.

"I guess," Harry smiled. "Even though I would like to keep going independently."

"Mm," Theo agreed, nuzzling his mate. Someone sat down across from him – someone with long, curly brunette hair. "Mother," he greeted, eyes hard.

"Theodore," she responded, hiding a tiny smile. "It was so rude of you to keep your little mate from us."

Harry frowned. "I asked him to," he admitted, blushing when Sophia's eyes turned to him. "I didn't want to...meet you. I thought...things were moving too fast."

Sophia hummed in agreement. "It can often feel that way when mating is involved. You have little freedom, and some of the more ….stubborn Sarkany try to slow it down. It's not a bad thing."

Harry looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. "Yeah, I guess.." he mumbled.

Samuel joined his wife soon afterward. "There you are, I went to the restroom and you disappeared on me."

Sophia laughed, and her husband scowled. "Mr. Potter here was just explaining that Theodore wasn't hiding his mate from us, but that Mr. Potter asked our Theodore to take him away."

"Oh?" Samuel questioned, mirth in his eyes. "A stubborn one, then."

Harry felt like there was a joke that everybody but he was in on. It was _not _a good feeling, and he hmphed and turned his face into Theo's side. Theo, Sophia, and Samuel made small-talk for a good half hour before the adults got the hint that Harry was not pleased by their company and left. Theo side, rubbing Harry's shoulders.

"At some point, little mate, you will have to deal with them. They are my parents, after all."

"I know," Harry whispered in a tiny voice, feeling guilty. "They make me feel like a silly child, though."

"I'm sorry," Theo murmured honestly, wrapping his arm tightly around the smaller boy's waist.

The last few couples were making their wishes now – and the flame had finally begun reacting normally again. When the last couple made their wish, an Official who looked to be one of the Fey wrapped his hand around the stone and murmured a long incantation in Latin, before the stone was taken away. A bell chimed from somewhere and the still unmated dominants filed into a neat line and were led to the dais in the front.

The normality had begun again.

Theo saw dozens of new faces, but there weren't any more dominants than there had been six days ago. Many people must have been mated. Harry and Theo stood and were making their way through to the middle of the line, toward Ian, when Seamus Finnigan stopped them.

Theo was nearly fed up with all of the interruptions. First his parents, now Finnigan.

"The guard said they'll be here to pick us up at ten tomorrow," he said to Harry, brightly. "I've told the others already. Since the Patil twins didn't find their mates yet, we'll be allowed to continue doing independent work if we want – until May, when the next Fey Meeting is."

"Thanks for telling me, Shay," Harry smiled, and the two submissives shared a quick hug. "Introduce me, please," he said, looking at the dominants flanking either side of Finnigan.

"Right!" Finnigan grinned. "This is Finley and Carter," he said. Finley was the larger of the two and the one that Theo recognized, as Finnigan had been mated to the man first. Carter was a bit smaller and a lot younger – probably eighteen to Finley's twenty six – but seemed to take everything in stride. He pretended to tip his hat and Harry laughed.

"Nice to meet you, boys. I'm Harry. Shay, this is Theodore Nott – I think we had Potions with him First Year."

"I know who he is, Harry," Finnigan snickered. "I think Hermione hexed him that one time."

Theo winced in remembrance. He'd had the bad fortune to be standing with Draco and his cronies when they decided to mess with the Golden Trio, and unfortunately Hermione Granger had caught him with a stinging hex.

"Ah, yeah, just look at his face," Seamus and Harry shared a good laugh at this before Shay explained to his mates, "Hermione Granger's the brightest witch in our year. She's really good with hexes, and nobody messes with her twice...except Draco Malfoy, but that's besides the point."

A few minutes later, the trio departed, leaving Harry and Theo to their own devices (thankfully). Harry high-tailed it to Ian, who looked relieved that Harry would be remarking him.

"Merlin," Ian snickered. "The two of you certainly attract a lot of attention."

"Be quiet," Theo rolled his eyes. He was actually rather fond of Ian, an emotion he'd never thought he'd reach with any of the dominants Harry picked.

"How was the heat?" Ian wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Harry let out an embarrassed cry, clinging to Theo.

"Does everyone know?" he whimpered miserably.

"Pretty much," Ian smirked. "Was it terrible?"

"I don't remember much," Harry mumbled. "Except that I felt like I was on fire."

"It was long," Theo decided.

"Long." Ian muttered incredulously, eyebrows raising.

"Be nice!" Harry yelped, bristling a little.

Ian held his hands up as if surrendering and Harry settled down again. It wasn't long, however, before Ian had caused Harry distress again. This time it wouldn't settle as easily.

"I'd hate him, too," Ian chirped brightly after Harry said something about how Snape hated James Potter because he bullied the man. Harry looked at him, a bit hurt, and then lashed out with a single claw. It left a red, bloody line from Ian's ear to the middle of his cheek.

"Harry!" Theo shouted, restraining the boy. "That was uncalled for!"

All he got from the boy in question was some struggling and a few whiny growls before he dug his claws into Theo's arms.

"Harry!" Theo tried again. The boy launched himself at Ian, claw tearing down the man's chest, and Theo realized at once that this was not just about the comment against Harry's father.

"Merlin help us," Theo muttered as he watched the large dominant and his little mate fighting. "They're completing the second stage!"

Sure enough, like clockwork, the guards were leading the trio out of the room. They ended up in Theo and Harry's room, which was meticulously being destroyed by the somewhat bloody battle.

Theo and Harry's battle had been short, because a Gryffindor and a Slytherin's battle usually was. Either the Gryffindor would gain the upper hand or the Slytherin would. In that case, Theo's sneaky Slytherin side had found a weakness and grasped at it. But it seemed that both Ian and Harry filtered Gryffindor personalities, and a fight between two Gryffindors was always, always terrible. They were both brutal, jumping in head-first instead of thinking about possible short cuts to gain the upper hand on their opponent.

It was terrible to watch.

Theo's heart wrenched, protective instincts nearly killing him with the need to go to his mate, but Sarkany instincts overriding them and saying, _no, you cannot interrupt now. It would ruin everything._

Harry cried out loud when Ian dislocated the boy's shoulder, and Harry went down hard. The boy was sobbing, but somehow he still managed to free himself and continue on. A slam from Ian that sent him spiraling into the wall popped his shoulder back into place, which was arguably more painful than getting it pulled _out _of place.

It finally seemed as if Ian had gained control of the situation when the man brought Harry to the floor, kneeling with his knee on the submissive's lower back. Harry stilled for several moments and Theo thought it was over, but as soon as Ian removed his knee to comfort the boy and begin consummating their new bond, Harry rolled over and lashed out again.

_Sneaky,_ Theo thought with surprise. Why hadn't his little mate fought back this hard with _him_?

They were both beginning to wear out. Harry, however, seemed to be a little ball of energy and had the advantage for several moments while Ian panted and tried to catch his breath – several sickening cracks alerted Theo to the fact that Harry had most probably broken all four of the fingers on Ian's right hand.

Ian was getting angry, though. He grasped Harry round the waist and trapped the boy's kicking legs between his own before putting both of Harry's arms straight down his sides with Ian's other arm.

"Energetic little thing," Ian growled when Harry went limp a second time. This time, though, it seemed to be because of the fact that the boy was too tired to continue fighting – and not because he decided to be sneaky. Tentatively, Ian let go of Harry's legs and they curled up, trying to pull Harry's body into a ball.

That night was a blur to Theo, who alternated between warning Ian not to hurt Harry too badly and just watching with his wings spread wide as if to protect his little mate.

Morning found Theo nearly falling asleep in place, still watching over his now-sleeping mate and his mate's new dominant. There was no jealousy in him, which surprised him, but perhaps he was just too tired to be jealous.

He had just dozed off when there was a knock on the door. He groaned, forcing himself into awareness again in order to answer the door.

The mediwitch healed Ian, who was awake now and looking particularly smug, and then Harry, who was whimpering slightly and close to waking. She tutted and shook her head at Ian as if she didn't approve at all.

"You really did a number on the poor boy, Mr. Lowell!"

Ian protested greatly, nearly pouting. "He shattered all of the metacarpals on my right hand!"

"Except your thumb," the mediwitch scolded. "And I wouldn't have blamed him if he did!"

Harry woke soon after the mediwitch was gone, curling in on himself and trying to find some clothing. He was panicking again.

"I forgot to tell you," Theo whispered blandly to Ian. "He hates waking up naked."

"I rather enjoy the view," Ian said, and then got a face-full of the pillow Harry had been using. "Oi!" he cried, tossing it back at Harry, who was squirming into some jeans that were sinfully tight, in Theo's opinion. It hit him on the arse and Harry gave an indignant yelp, turning and throwing it back.

"Sorry to break up your pillow fight, girls, but need I remind you that our escort gets here at ten?" Theo shouted. "Which happens to be in exactly thirty minutes."

This led to the room being scoured for the rest of Harry's things, and then Theo's things, and finally Ian yelling that he didn't have _any _of his things except for a torn pair of pants and a bloody shirt.

"Calm down. Just go get them or something," Theo rolled his eyes.

Ian agreed to this and slid out of the room, but he didn't need to go very far because his suitcase was just outside the door. "Awesome," the man grinned cockily, pulling it back inside.

It was only ten minutes later that Finnigan showed up, pounding on their door and shouting that it was time to go.

Theo, Ian, and Harry followed the group out into the snow – which seemed to have doubled during their time at the Meeting. Theo noticed Ian watching Harry bounce around in the snow with a tender look in his eyes and smiled.

"Rather adorable, isn't he?"

"Definitely," Ian agreed.

They reached an apparition point and the guards side-along apparated the large group back to Hogwarts.

– – –

"Unspeakable Demeter," called a timid voice. Unspeakable Demeter glanced up from what she was doing, trying to pinpoint the exact substance that allowed for time-travel within Time-Turners. They'd had a lot of magical sand to experiment with after the accident in the Department of Mysteries last summer, because once the sand had been exposed to air you couldn't just stuff it back in a Time-Turner and reuse it again.

"Yes?" she murmured. There were some times when she hated being Head Unspeakable, needed at every second of every day and never being allowed just to do her own thing. This was one of them. "I hope it's important."

"Oh, it's _very _important."

Unspeakable Demeter followed the younger boy, Unspeakable Jerian, to the Veil Room. He was babbling non-stop about the Veil of Death, how something was happening with it. He said that it had been progressively more active in the last twenty-four hours than it ever had been before, starting out as a simple glow and then a huge wind. The wind and the glow had seemingly picked up, and she saw what he meant when the Veil was in sight.

The wind was concentrated around the Veil, swirling like a miniature tornado. The glow, a bright blue color, was in the archway – as if solidifying the fact that it was, indeed, a veil. The Runes on the archway seemed to be glowing, too.

"Are you monitoring this?" she shouted, eyes wide in excitement. Never, in all the time the Veil had been there, had this happened.

"Yes, ma'am!" Unspeakable Jerian crowed, voice straining to reach a volume that could be heard over the raging wind. "We still can't figure out what's happening, though!"

Just as the boy screamed this, the wind died. The Veil began to shimmer, swirling within the archway, until it puckered in the center and spat out three forms onto the ground.

Nobody moved.

"What the hell just happened, Jerian?" hissed Unspeakable Demeter, venom lacing her words.

"I-I- it just...vomited people?"

A squad of Unspeakables and Department of Mysteries Healers were brought in, the Veil closed off and the room made into a hospital ward. The three forms, all unconscious, were put onto cots and tested for all kinds of magic – but nothing, _nothing _could be found.

"Do blood tests," Unspeakable Demeter ordered, glaring at the Healers. "I need to know who they are."

"Yes, ma'am."

A vial of blood each was taken and spells performed over them. Unspeakable Demeter knew that the results were in when one of the vials crashed to the floor and a shaky Healer, who looked like she'd just seen a Dementor, whimpered: "That's not possible..."

"Spit it out," Unspeakable Demeter grouched.

"But, ma'am, I need to retest this... it seems that...oh, but it sounds so crazy!"

"_TELL ME!_"

The Healer squeaked and nearly shouted: "It says this woman is Lily Potter!"

Silence.

Absolute...utter...silence.

"But that's not possible. Retest." ordered Unspeakable Demeter.

Another Healer came back, just as shaky, with results for the first man: James Potter. A third with the results of the last figure: Sirius Black. "Retest!" she ordered them, but the results kept coming back the same.

It was impossible.

Nobody had ever come back from the dead, and it was well known that all three of those people were dead. Lily and James Potter, fifteen years dead. Sirius Black, six months dead.

Nothing like this had ever happened before.

Ever.

And there was only one person Unspeakable Demeter could think of to ask advice from.

The Floo flared bright green and she spoke clearly; "Hogwarts Headmaster's Office."

* * *

><p><em>C: Review? Maybe we can get to 100? That's only 20 away...;3<em>

_NEW QUESTION: Favorite fics? Also, after TND is finished (and it's getting close), would you guys protest me starting up another fic? ^-^ (TND has probably 5-6 chapters left, maybe a bit more, but not more than 10.)_

_NEXT: Aftermath Adventures_

_Kymmie_


	9. Aftermath Adventures

_Whoa! It's been a few days! Dx sorry. _**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Nine: Aftermath Adventures**

Albus Dumbledore was a very smart man, and very smart men knew not to keep secrets from their closest friends. That is why, when his Floo Call was ended, he immediately sent for Remus John Lupin. He sat with his fingers steepled, deep in thought, and barely noticed when the man joined him.

"You needed me, sir?"

Remus had been reappointed as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor when Harry Potter had pitched a great fit about the discrimination last June. Dozens of children from all of the Houses had joined in the protest, saying that Remus was the kindest man they'd ever met and that he'd never hurt a fly and that he was the best Defense Professor they'd ever had. Dumbledore had been incredibly proud of his students joining together for such a cause, and eventually the Ministry had relented.

"The Department of Mysteries just contacted me," Dumbledore stated, looking up at Remus, who was still standing. "They gave me a very interesting tale that I think you would like to hear."

Remus narrowed his eyes, remembering the last – and only – time he'd ever been in the Department of Mysteries. He'd lost his best friend. Slowly, he lowered himself into the chair across from Dumbledore.

"I'm listening," he murmured.

"_Apparently, _for the last twenty four hours or so, the Veil of Death has been acting very...oddly. Glowing, creating high winds. In the early hours of this morning, something happened."

Remus raised his eyebrows. "And what would that be, Headmaster?"

"It spit out three people, Remus, and the Unspeakable Healers conducted dozens of blood tests on those three people, all with the same results," Dumbledore's voice was somewhat weary.

Remus' heart pounded, eyes widened, but he would not allow himself to get his hopes up. James, Sirius, and Lily were dead. His best friends and family were gone – forever. No matter what happened. "Who are they, then?"

"Well, you see, it is very hard to believe. Two of them have been dead for fifteen-odd years. The other has been dead only six months," Dumbledore was looking at Remus for any sign of recognition. When he found none (Remus had learned early on how to hide his emotions), he continued on. "Their names are James Potter, Lily Potter, and Sirius Black."

"Imposters," Remus replied immediately.

"Impossible," Dumbledore responded. "No spells, charms, hexes, jinxes, curses, potions, draughts, or anything I've heard of can change DNA. Not even Blood Adoption will fully change DNA."

"But.." Remus protested, heart beating faster. "It's not possible, Dumbledore. Don't play with me like this."

Dumbledore bowed his head. "I'm sorry you feel like I am playing with you. I have arranged for the two of us to go into the Department of Mysteries, for surely only their best friend will recognize them for sure. You know one thousand things about Sirius and James that no other living being knows. Things that Peter Pettigrew didn't even know."

Ah, Peter Pettigrew. Watching him die had been both heartbreaking and sickeningly satisfying. He'd been at the DoM last June when Sirius had died, and when Harry's magic had burst out of control. Seeking retribution, it had lashed out at Peter – disintegrating him on the spot. Aurors had later taken DNA from the ashes and memories from Remus, Harry, and several others in order to belatedly clear Sirius' name. The news had been in an uproar over that particular failure on the Ministry's part for months – it had come out that Sirius Black had never had a trial, which all prisoners good or bad were permitted, that Peter Pettigrew had _not _been dead, and that Sirius had never killed another being in his entire life. It had been genuinely enlightening for the whole Wizarding World, and the Ministry had lost a lot of supporters.

"But it's impossible," Remus protested again.

"Remus," Dumbledore said sternly. "Nothing is impossible. Improbably, yes. Highly unlikely, yes. But this is the Department of Mysteries, and mysterious things have always happened there."

That was how the duo found themselves sinking miles and miles below ground that very same afternoon – and vaguely Remus felt guilty that he would not be at Hogwarts to see his best friend's son for the first time in months, but this, he felt, was more important at the moment.

An Unspeakable named Jerian met them at the mouth of the DoM and then led them through the maze intended to trap unwanted visitors until someone could find them and pluck them out.

The room was pristine white and smelled of antiseptic, and Remus realized that it was the Department's own infirmary. There were curtains drawn around three beds, and his heart pounded with so much pain and hopelessness and want that Remus just wanted to turn and high-tail it back to Hogwarts. How much would it hurt if these were really not his long-time friends? How much pain could one heart take before it just stopped beating? He didn't know and he didn't want to find out, either, but it seemed like this matter was out of his hands. Dumbledore was nearly pulling him along, and Remus decided the old man took great pleasure in putting his acquaintances into situations they never in a million years wanted to be in.

"Wotcher," an Unspeakable said, appearing from behind the curtains. Her dark hair was done up in a tight ponytail which was curled, her lips smeared with lipstick in such a bright magenta color that it was disconcerting. She looked strained, as if she'd been thinking too hard about something too confusing, and Remus knew exactly how she felt. "Dumbledore and Lupin, I suspect. Head Unspeakable Demeter went off to do something and asked me to be here with you. Would you like to see the... well, them?"

"That is what we are here for, yes. I find that hardly anyone knows someone as well as their best friend," Dumbledore's eyes sparkled with mirth. "So I have brought James Potter and Sirius Black's best friend with me, and if anyone can identify them for sure, it will be him."

Remus wasn't as sure about his abilities, but there was no room left for arguments as the infirmary was going under lock-down and the curtains being pulled back.

There was no doubt about it. Their resemblance to his best friends was uncanny – however, James and Lily looked older than they had when they died...as if they'd never really died at all, and had aged right along with the rest of them. James' hair was as messy as ever, if a bit longer than usual, lips quirked in that somewhat-permanent half-smile he always wore. His glasses were on his face, but his eyes were closed. The man's chest rose and fell evenly and his skin was a little pale. Remus reached forward as if to touch him, too choked up to say anything, but jerked his hand back at the last moment. He turned away, knowing that looking at Lily would be easier than looking at James.

James and Sirius had been Remus' very best friends, his brothers in all but blood. To think that they might be here, right in front of him, alive again... it was too much to bear. They had spent nearly eight years together, sharing a dormitory and being a part of each other's daily lives, growing closer and closer with every word. But Lily was simply Lily Potter, someone who'd they'd all known for a long time but only James had ever really gotten close to. She'd dealt with them, of course, after she'd married James. She'd dealt with them touching her baby, holding him and fawning over him. But they'd never been as close and her death hadn't hit him as hard.

She looked beautiful, of course. She always had. Her long, bright red hair that curled slightly at the ends was even longer, her eyelashes more curled. Freckles spattered over her nose, which was slightly upturned at the end. Her lips, fuller than any lips he'd seen before, were slightly parted. He choked and tried to keep his tears in, spinning to see Sirius.

Sirius looked the same as he had six months ago, face a little gaunt, hair a little unkempt, a tattoo across his collar bone that, on one side, read "_I Solemnly Swear That I Am Up To No Good..._" and the other side read, "_...Mischief Managed._" Remus sat hard on his bed and just cried. There was no use holding the tears in.

He heard Dumbledore asking all of the spells they'd used to identify the trio. When Dumbledore came up with a few more, he began the testing again, but found that the results were the same. It was insane to think that this could all be possible, insane to think that his friends had somehow _risen up out of the __land of the dead, _but that's what all the signs were pointing to.

They'd been in the Department of Mysteries for two hours when Sirius' eyes fluttered open.

"Moony?"

The voice cracked with disuse, but a smile spread across those tired lips.

"Oh, Sirius," Remus choked, tears spilling over again. Such a sap, he was.

"Why are you crying?" Sirius asked, struggling into a sitting position without much trouble. He was beginning to panic. "Where's Harry? Is he okay? Please tell me nothing happened to my cub, oh gods, Remus, please.."

"Sirius, Padfoot, shhh," Remus soothed, a laugh bubbling out of his lips. "I'm not crying for Harry, Harry's fine – he's at Hogwarts – but you...you died! You were dead! For six months, and now you're not.."

"What?" Sirius asked, frowning. "I wasn't dead!"

"It's December 11th, 1996," Remus snorted. "You're in the Department of Mysteries infirmary because early this morning the Veil of Death spit you out."

Sirius frowned, trying to remember the last thing that had happened. He remembered coming to the Department of Mysteries to...to...to save Harry, he thought. And ...getting hit by Bellatrix's curse... and falling through the Veil.

"But...how am I alive?" he demanded.

"I don't know. Nobody does," Remus petted Sirius' hair, trying to reassure himself that he wasn't dreaming. "Gods. I'm so happy I could kiss you."

"Don't," Sirius advised, and they both laughed.

Remus stopped laughing soon after, however. "Sirius..."

"What?" Sirius asked anxiously.

"Two others were spit out of the Veil with you," Remus murmured tightly. At Sirius' questioning look, Remus nodded down the row where Lily and James lay.

And somehow, Remus hadn't any doubts that these three really were who they looked like. It was an incredible feeling, worry-free, as if he'd always known they were going to come back like this.

Sirius didn't take it as well, however, and screamed and raged that someone would impersonate _his _best mate, that someone had the gall to do that. It took almost an hour to calm him down and get him to believe, but he was still skeptical – until James' eyes fluttered.

When Sirius and James locked eyes, all of Sirius' arguments floated to the side. He_ knew, _just knew, that this was his best mate. This was no impostor. It wasn't possible that it was an impostor, nobody, _nobody _could return Sirius' looks with as much sureness as James could. Nobody could give that impression that he knew exactly what Sirius was thinking and that he was going right along with it – except James Henry Potter.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" James demanded, eyes big. "Where am I? Why do you blokes look like you're thirty something?"

And Remus knew at that moment for sure that this was James.

It took a whole thirty minutes to convince James of the date, and then another hour to convince him that this was real and he'd been dead for fifteen years. James liked to swear a lot in his younger days and it seemed to come back to him know, flooding out of his mouth before he seemed to remember something.

"Where's my chick?" he demanded. "Where's my baby?"

"Harry is safe at Hogwarts," Remus soothed. "He's sixteen now, James. You'd be so proud of him."

"My chick is sixteen," James repeated, sounding dazed. "My baby is sixteen and I've...I missed his whole life..."

"He loves you," Remus told James. "He looks just like you, except smaller, and with Lily's eyes. He came into his Inheritance and likely has a mate – I haven't seen him in months, because his Sarkany wouldn't like me, a werewolf, to be around him."

James was distressed and began pleading for Remus to take him to his baby. Sarkany were very, very protective of their children – originally Remus had thought that Lily would be the mother hen, that Lily would be the overprotective one. But it was actually _James_, and he was good at it.

"I can't, not yet, James," Remus cooed gently. "Harry thinks you're dead. He'd think I was playing around and he'd hate me for it."

"Take me to him, please, Remus, please! Sirius, tell him, tell him I need to see my baby, I need to..."

"James. James, mate, calm down. Harry's fine. He'll be fine for the next twelve hours. We need to wait here for Lily to wake up before we can go see your son," Sirius explained. "He thinks _I'm_ dead, too. It will be a great shock for him."

Lily was another matter entirely. She kept repeating that this was not, under any circumstances, logical. At one point she tried to make the Healer give Remus a head scan, but eventually they got through to her.

"This is so crazy," Sirius mumbled, now sharing a bed with James. The two boys used to do that when they were young and one of them was worried or scared about something – and it was nearly ridiculous when they're both thirty-six, but Remus found it endearing. He slid onto the end of the bed, smiling at Lily and calling her over, too.

"Tell me what's been going on since I died. What happened after I went through the Veil?" Sirius demanded.

"Maybe we should tell James and Lily about Harry and go in sort of chronological order," Remus suggested.

"You think?" Sirius asked, and then nodded. "I guess I can wait. Okay. So. After the two of you died..."

Lily and James were appalled by the stories Sirius and Remus wove of their son defying death time and time again. ("Must run in the family," Sirius joked). They were even more appalled by the fact that he'd lived with the _Dursleys _his whole life, and the reason _why _he'd had to was because Sirius had been sent to prison unfairly.

It was almost too much to take. The story of the stone, and then the basilisk, and then an escaped convict-who-wasn't-really-a-convict, and then the Triwizard Tournament and then the Department of Mysteries.

"So what happened after I died?" asked Sirius impatiently.

Remus stretched a little before frowning. "Well... Harry was right there next to you when you went through the Veil. He tried to go after you and I barely got to him in time – he had already reached out and touched the Veil. He's got this speech problem now where he sometimes doesn't realize he's not finished his entire thought before moving to another," Remus looked up at them from under his lashes.

"My poor baby," James cried. "What else?"

"His magic went haywire," Remus admitted. "It lashed out, but it didn't really touch anybody until it found Peter Pettigrew. He disintegrated on the spot."

"What!" Sirius yelled, looking like Christmas had come early. "Go Harry!"

"I know. The Aurors took DNA samples and memories from us and Harry had your name cleared, Sirius. The whole truth of everything came out, and a lot of faith in the Ministry was lost," Remus smirked, knowing that Sirius would be happy about that – and he was. He cheered and clapped, wriggling so much that James threatened to kick him out of the bed. "He and his friends went back to Hogwarts and then during the summer Harry went to the Dursleys. He usually goes to either the Weasleys or Headquarters after his birthday, but this year I picked him up a day before his birthday and took him to Hogwarts."

James nibbled on his lip, knowing that his baby had already come into his Inheritance and he'd _missed _it!

"We had high expectations of him being a submissive, so he and the rest of the prospective submissive Creatures at Hogwarts were put under lock and key until December. On the first, a large group of guards took Harry and the rest to the Hall of Gathering for the Winter Meeting," Remus finished. "They will have arrived back at around eleven o'clock today."

Of course, the other three immediately demanded that they be taken to Hogwarts to see him, but Dumbledore – who had disappeared before – butted in.

"I believe it is important for you to be moved to Hogwarts, yes, but I also believe it is important that we ease Mr. Potter into this... it will surely cause him great shock and I have a feeling that he feels there's been enough changes in his life these past five or six months."

And he had no idea how right he was.

– – –

While Parvati and Padma were swept away immediately to their rooms, the rest of the group caused quite a scene within Hogwarts. It wasn't every day that you saw ten submissive creatures and their twelve mates plus a mass of guards, after all. Harry felt that the guards had decided to be slow on purpose, just _to _make a scene.

Harry had quite missed his friends, and now he was seeing them everywhere. School had, surprisingly, been canceled for the day – something about the fact that one of the teachers was off for something important so Dumbledore had given the whole school a free day.

Neville and Luna were hanging out on the grounds, trimming some flowers that only grew in the winter. Dean and Ron were heading toward the kitchens because they were too hungry to wait another hour for lunch. Hermione heading up toward the library. Ginny and a group of her friends going toward the tower to study (Hermione had scared them all into studying early for the OWLs, apparently). It was so nice not to be rushed to and fro as he had been before he was mated.

Even the ghosts had missed them. "Mr. Potter, good to see you out and about again!" called the Gryffindor Ghost.

"Sir Nicholas!" Harry cried, waving. "Are you well?"

"As well as a ghost can be, dear boy!" Nearly Headless Nick called back, departing with a wave.

"You speak to the ghosts?" Ian whispered in surprise.

"Of course we speak with the ghosts," Seamus scoffed. "Don't be rude! That was the Gryffindor Ghost – I can never remember his full name, but everyone calls him Nearly Headless Nick."

"His name is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington," Harry stated, smirking. "And he hates being called Nearly Headless Nick. How would you like it, Shay, if you died in an explosion and everyone called your ghost Explosive Shay?"

"That would be epic," Seamus beamed, then scowled. "Hey! I haven't blown anything up since..."

"...since you nearly blew _us _up," Harry rolled his eyes. "I remember, believe me."

"He nearly blew you up?" Ian yelped, grabbing Harry as if to keep him safe.

"It was months ago, Ian!" Harry cried. "Besides, Shay blows everything up. _Everything._ It was my fault for sitting with him during Potions. But nobody else would, so I had really little choice."

"Ah! You're back," called Professor McGonagall, hurrying in front of them. The whole group stopped and then the guards departed, knowing they were no longer needed. "Welcome back, and must I say, what a surprise it is to see these new faces! I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress and Transfigurations Professor. I am also Head of Gryffindor. For those of you who are dominants and attended here before you mated, you will soon see your new quarters – your things have all been transported to there. Submissives, you already know where your quarters are."

"Thanks, Professor," Harry smiled. "Nice to see you. Have you seen Rem- I mean, Professor Lupin?"

"Professor Lupin and Headmaster Dumbledore had an important meeting at the Department of Mysteries today, Mr. Potter," McGonagall chided, but there was a small frown on her face. "Now go get your mate – mates? – settled into your rooms."

"Yes, ma'am!" Harry beamed. "Come along, Ian, Theo."

He led his mates up to the seventh floor and through the portrait, and then to the portrait that hid his quarters. "The password is 'inheritance'," he told them, and then the portrait. The portrait swung open, revealing his quarters – which he had missed greatly.

"Welcome home," he chirped to the duo, and began to give them a tour.

* * *

><p><em>Welp. Review, please? o: I know I keep promising some more bonding time with the mates but-but. Maybe bonding time with the Marauders makes up for it? <em>

_Last chapter's question...uhh...what did I ask last chapter? o-o'' _

_NEW QUESTION: What's your favorite TV show? c:_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Ended Enmity_

_Kymmie_


	10. Ended Enmity

**HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME**

**Chapter Ten: Ended Enmity**

James tugged his hood tighter over his head, the Notice-Me-Not charm that was placed there making it so his face seemed to disappear. His baby was in this castle. He could feel it. Lily and Sirius were flanking him on either side and Remus and Dumbledore were in front of him, but all he wanted to do was break rank and go after his baby.

"Calm down, love," Lily cooed, taking his hand.

"I'm trying," James mumbled tensely.

Dumbledore had gotten them private quarters near Remus' quarters, one for Lily and James and one for Sirius. He hadn't needed to tell them that they would be far, far away from Harry. It hurt James a little, but he knew it was necessary – it wouldn't do to shock Harry too badly.

"Here," Dumbledore nodded, stopping outside a portrait of a tigress and a Stargazer Lily. They entered and took off their cloaks, sighing.

"It feels good to be back here," Sirius mumbled, stretching. "I just wish I could see Harry."

"Not until we tell him," Remus warned.

"And when will that be?" demanded Lily. "When my little boy is an adult in seven months?"

Remus sighed, shaking his head. "No, Lily, but you must understand how many changes Harry's gone through in the past five months alone. First he lost his godfather, and then he became a Creature he hadn't known existed until a week or so beforehand, and then he learned he'd need to be mated and was locked in a castle for five months like some sort of fairytale princess before being whisked away to be mated... I'm afraid that telling him you're alive will be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back."

James looked at his hands. "Can't we at least...see him?"

Dumbledore shook his head lightly. "I'm going to assess the situation, Mr. Potter. When Harry seems to be in good health and good moods, I'll begin by telling him about Sirius. It will be harder to learn about you, his parents, who he's pined for his whole life."

"When do you think that'll be?" Sirius wondered.

"I'm due to visit him tomorrow morning, I think, when he and his mate – or mates – are all settled in," Dumbledore decided. "I'll leave you two to settle in and show Mr. Black his quarters, and then you can go out to Diagon Alley or somewhere and buy some clothing. I believe, Mr. and Mrs. Potter, your wands are in the Potter Vault, and Mr. Black, yours should be at Headquarters."

The old man departed, taking Sirius with him to show him the portrait across the hall, where he would be staying for the time being.

– – –

Harry snuggled into the couch, watching his mates put their things away. There was still six months of school left, so they were trying to make things as comfortable as possible. Ian and a House-Elf had Flooed to Ian's home and gathered his things to bring to Hogwarts, so that he had clothes and other items.

"Ugh, this bed is much too small," Ian scowled. "It will fit two people but definitely not three."

"We're all going to share a bed?" Theo demanded.

"Of course," Ian raised an eyebrow, then smirked. "Unless that freaks you out?"

"No, it doesn't," Theo responded. "I just wasn't aware that we knew each other well enough."

Ian snickered, stretching his arms above his head. "It doesn't matter how well we know each other. The three of us are in this for life now. Right, Harry?"

"Hmm? Yeah," Harry nodded, looking up from where he had began to study. "Trying to catch up."

He'd missed only seven days of school – the first had been a Sunday, the seventh and eighth a weekend, and today there was no school. But a lot could happen in seven days, and he had to make sure he was caught up in his studies. He had nearly all Os, and he was _not _going to jeopardize that.

Not to mention that, in February, he'd be taking another ten days off to go to Egypt for the next Sarkany Meeting in an attempt to find his last two mates – hopefully he'd find them both, but hell, he'd take even finding one as a good sign. He wanted to find them all in the shortest amount of time possible so he could get over this beating-each-other-up and then waking-up-naked-and-sore thing. It was really _not _ideal.

"What are you studying?" Ian wondered, stretching out on the couch next to him. Harry slid over and cuddled into his side, parchment on one page of the book and reading the other side while taking notes.

"Potions. My worst subject...still," Harry frowned. "Which is silly because I'm a good cook, so I should be good at potions, but no, I've only got an 'A'."

"Maybe Draco could tutor you," Theo offered from the bedroom, where he was putting away his clothing. "He's the best in our year at Potions."

"No, thank you," Harry wrinkled his nose. "I'll see if Hermione will help, though. Speaking of Draco, what are we going to do about meals? Will we eat in here, or the Great Hall?"

"Either or," Theo smiled. "But we're not sitting at the Gryffindor table."

"Well, we're not sitting at the Slytherin table, either," pouted Harry.

Ian just laughed. "How about breakfast here, lunch at the so-called Slytherin table, and dinner at the Gryffindor table?"

Harry brightened. "Sure!"

Theo rolled his eyes and agreed, too, because it was always best to compromise.

– – –

Lunch found the trio wandering into the Great Hall a bit awkwardly. It was twelve-thirty, only an hour and a half since they'd arrived, but it seemed like they had been here forever. Theo led them to the Slytherin table and Harry, half-fearfully, sat so close to Theo he was almost on his lap.

The Slytherins weren't as bad as he thought they'd be, though. Pansy Parkinson ignored him and Draco's previous cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, did, too. Draco, who showed up halfway through the meal, seemed to happy to be rid of them, however, and showed off his new Veela submissive happily.

Draco was also different than what Harry had expected. He and Theo really got along well, Draco's arrogance taken down three or four notches by Theo's quick rebuttals. Draco never really seemed to mind, however. Early on, Harry noticed that Draco would stop and watch him curiously, and it was the fifth time he caught the blond doing this that he got fed up.

"What do you want?" he asked, blush rising up his cheeks. "Stop staring at me like that, it's unnerving."

Draco laughed quietly. "Just wondering how you're taking things. Never would have thought I'd see _you _at the Slytherin table, Golden Boy."

"Never thought I'd see you conversing happily with me, Ice Prince," Harry muttered snottily, and then cooled down. "For your information, I was nearly put in Slytherin, but I begged the Hat not to place me here because you were a right prat to me on the train. And anyways, I am taking things well, if you mean my mating."

Then he promptly turned and chatted with Draco's submissive, who was called Alexis Marie, but just liked to go by Lexi. Lexi was American, like Ian, and he quite liked her. It was nice to make new friends, anyways, and since Lexi would need friends here at Hogwarts (she would begin attending here the following week, something she and Draco had decided upon instead of Draco going to Salem), where she had only Draco. Harry promised her he'd introduce her to Seamus and Hannah Abbott and a few of the girls he knew and thought she'd get along with.

The way Draco looked when Harry made that promise made Harry lose his cool again. "Don't be all thankful, Malfoy, I'm not doing this for you. She needs friends just like anyone else needs friends!"

Draco just rolled his eyes. "Look, Harry – I mean, Potter – I think we should call a truce. I'll be nice to you and your friends, you be nice to me and...well, I guess you're already cozy with my best mate, so... just me. Alright?" he held his hand out.

Harry looked at the hand, remembering the first time that arrogant little Draco Malfoy had held out his hand. The first time, however, he _had _been arrogant. This time, Draco seemed genuine – and he hadn't insulted anybody, either. Harry chewed his lip. Could he so easily forgive Draco for all of those hexes, curses, insults, botched potions?

He took the proffered hand, murmuring, "I can forgive, Draco, but I'm not going to forget. This is your second chance, and I don't give out third chances."

_Well, that's not true. You've given many chances to Ron, _Harry's traitorous mind thought. But Ron was different, so he brushed it off, smiling at Draco.

This was the dawning of a new era – a new era in which Slytherin's Ice Prince and Gryffindor's Golden Boy were _not _enemies...and Merlin help them all for the time in which the two became _friends._

– – –

"Harry!" Hermione squealed, flinging her arms around the boy's neck. Ian stiffened, but Theo just shook his head. "Ooh, I missed you so much, how are you? Are you alright? Oh, introduce me!" she pleaded, nearly bouncing with excitement.

"Calm down, Hermione," Ron laughed, next to her. "Welcome back, Harry."

Harry beamed at them both. "I missed you guys, too! Look, this is Sebastian Lowell, and that's Theodore Nott – you guys know him. Ian, these are my best friends: Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley."

He pulled his boys with him to sit across from Hermione and Ron, who were all too happy to talk about anything and everything he'd missed.

"Remus has been teaching us some amazing stuff," Hermione smiled lightly. "The Patronus Charm – he was particularly surprised that most of us could already do it."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, I never told Remus about that! Bet it shocked him."

"You'll have to teach me, then," Theodore sighed. "I'm very bad at it."

Harry nodded. "I'll teach you."

"He's an amazing teacher," Hermione told Theo, smiling brightly. "I think that's what you should do when you graduate, Harry, instead of becoming an Auror."

Harry shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. I know I'm done with that whole Auror dream though. I hate the Ministry and Aurors work for the Ministry, so I'd be one of their lackeys. But I'm not sure I want to be a teacher... the only reason I did it last time is because you forced me."

Hermione laughed and Ron agreed.

"So, Ron," Harry said, in a pointed tone that was meant to change the topic. "Is your brother really a Sarkany?"

Ron nodded. "Yeah. The Weasley family has a lot of Creature blood in it, so any of us could Inherit, but Bill's the only one so far, and we don't think Ginny will," his eyes went big. "Hey, mate, you should meet him! He's not got a mate yet, maybe you could _really _be a part of the family!"

Harry stuttered, blushing, but couldn't say anything. He knew he shouldn't have told his friends he needed two more mates – now they'd be trying to match him up with everyone. Theo sighed and explained to Ron, "It doesn't work that way, Weasley. Harry would have to scent him amongst a whole group of dominants, and then he'd have to mark your brother. After that, your brother's Sarkany would have to _want _to be Harry's mate and chase after him, and then they'd have to beat each other up, and only _if _your brother won the fight would they become mates. If he lost, Harry's Sarkany would deem him too weak and search for a different mate."

"I didn't know it worked that way," Ron's eyes were huge. "But...that means..._both _of you beat Harry up?" he demanded, almost angry.

"Hell yeah, the little bugger broke all the fingers on my right hand, too," Ian snorted. "I nearly lost. He's strong, for a little guy."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Only because you were predictable. Theo beat me in minutes."

Theo laughed. "Only because you were predictable," he repeated teasingly. Hermione watched the trio interact with interest, head slightly cocked – now Theo knew where Harry had picked it up. Or maybe Hermione had picked it up from Harry? Either way.

Harry yawned heavily, and Ian stretched. "I think that means its time to head back to our quarters. Goodnight, all," he murmured, tugging Harry up with him. Theo followed shortly, saying a curt (but polite) goodbye.

Walking across the entrance hall, Harry spotted Remus walking in the door. He gave a loud cheer and sprinted across the floor, nearly knocking the wind out of his Professor when he hit him.

"Oomf," Remus gasped, rocking precariously before regaining his balance. He looked down and saw Harry hanging off of him and grinned. "Hello there, Mr. Potter, and to what do I owe this visit?" he teased.

"Oh, Remus, I missed you so much," Harry purred. Ian and Theo caught up to him, Ian growling at the Professor.

"Werewolf," he hissed, bristling, as his wings shot out of his back.

"Calm down," Theo muttered. "Everyone knows Professor Lupin is a Werewolf. He was also Harry's dad's best friend. He's safe."

Ian stopped growling and calmed a little, but didn't tuck his wings away.

"Well, what are you waiting for, pup? Introduce me to your mate," Remus smiled. "I see you've also got Theodore Nott, a very good choice, if I do say so myself. Very smart."

Theo nearly blushed at the praise, ruffling himself up in pride.

"This is Sebastian Lowell," Harry smiled. "Ian, this is Remus Lupin, my pseudo-godfather."

Harry's jaw nearly cracked with the next yawn, and Ian took this chance to tug him away. "Time for bed, Harry, you've had a long day," he chirped brightly.

"But...Ian," Harry murmured, barely resisting as he was pulled toward their room. "Goodnight, Remus!" he called.

When they were out of the hearing range of the werewolf, Harry scolded Ian for being so rude. Ian apologized guiltily, sweeping Harry up into his arms and carrying him the rest of the way to bed.

Harry snuggled down happily into the pillows and blankets on the bed, comfortable and content to be back in his own quarters. Theo and Ian settled on either side of him and he tugged their arms around his waist as if they were blankets.

"I'm happy to be back," he mumbled drowsily. Logically, he knew that he shouldn't be tired at six o'clock, but he had been through a lot in the past two or three days. He took it with a grain of salt and allowed himself to go to bed much earlier than he usually would have.

"Me, too. I love Hogwarts," Theo responded, petting Harry's hair.

"It's amazing here," Ian agreed. "Tomorrow you'll have to take me on a tour."

"Of course," the other two replied in unison, and Harry giggled sleepily.

"Sleep, baby," Theo whispered gently to Harry. Harry hummed his agreement, nuzzling further into his pillow and closing his eyes.

When the breathing had went even, Theo allowed himself to slide down and join his little mate in the land of nod, enjoying just holding the smaller boy. It was only minutes later that Ian joined the duo, throwing his arm around both of them and pulling them closer. After all, he'd be spending the rest of his life with the two of them – and two others, soon.

And for the moment, it was peaceful, even if it wouldn't always be that way.

* * *

><p><em>So...was it worth the wait? c:<em>

_I believe last chapter's question was about favorite TV shows. Mine's either a) Supernatural (MAJOR cliffie for this season, huh?), b) Bones (another cliffie!), c) BBC Sherlock (...a third cliffie), or d) Doctor Who. If anybody has any good fic refs for SuperWhoLock, SuperWhoLock Potter, or just SuperWho, I'd be grateful. c: They can be on any site. ^-^_

_NEW QUESTION: Who's your favorite Avenger...from the movie? (Not the comics, since I'm not familiar with the comics, though I've heard Spiderman was an Avenger?)_

_Next Chapter: Family Feuds_

_~Kymmie_


	11. Family Feuds

_Hey...so...I forgot how bad this chapter was. xD Bear with me guys, sorry... _

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Eleven: Family Feuds**

Morning dawned bright and early for Ian, who was used to going to sleep at a much later time. He stretched, arching off the bed, and then slipped away before he could wake either of the others. He wasn't the best cook in the world, but decided that he'd make breakfast since he'd woken up first.

Ian shuffled around the kitchenette with an almost sleepy demeanor. The clock on the wall told him it was almost seven o'clock, meaning he'd slept for a good twelve or thirteen hours. He hadn't slept that long in...Merlin, he couldn't even remember! It must have been before his Da had died, though, because he'd never slept late after that. Never been allowed to, really.

Soon the kitchenette was filled with the smells of breakfast – eggs and toast and sausage and hash, all greasy and delicious, and Ian cooked greasy and delicious the best. It wasn't long after that that Theo and Harry were trailing sleepily into the kitchen, both still in their pajamas.

"Gooooood morning," Ian grinned. "Smell good?"

"Smells like a heart attack waiting to happen," Theo griped, but then nodded. "Delicious."

Harry was eating the hash and the toast but only nibbled at the eggs and didn't touch the sausage at all. Ian barely took notice of this, though, because submissives usually weren't as fond of meat unless they were pregnant, in which they fancied raw meat. Dominants preferred raw meat, needed it even, but it was okay to eat some cooked meat here and there. Ian decided the hash probably had more than enough meat in it for Harry at that point in time.

"What are our plans for today?" Ian wondered.

"I've got Potions at eight," Theo responded, glancing at the clock. "I have to go take a quick shower and be on my way. Will you be alright here, Harry, or do you want to come with me?"

"Augh, no," Harry wrinkled his nose. "Professor Snape hates me. I'm going to stay here."

"Alright," Theo laughed. "I've got Defense just after that, though, if you want to join me. I know it's your favorite subject."

Harry brightened. "Yeah! I'll go for Defense," he turned and smiled at Ian. "What do you want to do until nine thirty?"

Ian waggled his eyebrows and Harry blushed. "Naw, just kidding. Don't you have schoolwork to get done?"

Harry pouted. "I've been studious all year long, I think I can put some work off for a few hours."

"Good, show me around the grounds?" he pleaded just as Theo was coming back, hair wet. How he showered in five minutes, Ian would never know – one of those mysteries that just will never be found out, probably.

"Don't go into the Forbidden Forest," Theo warned.

"But–" Harry protested.

"No," Theo cut him off. "Too dangerous."

"_Fine,_" Harry sighed.

Eight-fifteen found Harry and Ian sliding out onto the grounds, Harry chattering excitably about everything they were going to see, which included the Herbology Greenhouses, the Whomping Willow, the Black Lake, the Quidditch pitch, and so much more.

Ian was fascinated by it all. Salem had been just a tall, regal, abandoned building that nobody was allowed to enter or take down because of it being a 'historical monument'. There weren't any grounds, Herbology had been taught inside with indoor greenhouses. Hogwarts really was the most amazing school.

"Who's that?" Ian wondered, pointing to a giant someone coming out of the forest.

Harry waved his hand in greeting, and the giant someone switched his direction and began walking toward the duo. "That's Hagrid, he's the groundskeeper and teaches Care of Magical Creatures. He brought me to Diagon Alley for the first time and was the one who told me I was a wizard."

Ian watched in fascination as Hagrid got closer. "Is he a giant or something?"

"No," Harry said sharply, eyes hard. "He's a half-giant and you won't bring it up because it upsets him, okay?"

"Alright..."

_Just what does Hogwarts think its doing, letting a werewolf teach Defense Against the Dark Arts and a half-giant teach Care of Magical Creatures? Next a ghost is going to be teaching History of Magic..._

"Alrigh' thar, Harry?" this Hagrid man beamed. "Ain't seen ya 'round lately, how ya been? Keepin' outta trouble, I 'spect."

Harry laughed. "Didn't anyone tell you I came into my Inheritance?"

Hagrid slapped his forehead. "Blimey, I completely forgot! An' I 'spect this is yer mate?"

Ian nodded, reaching out a hand tentatively. The half-giant shook it, nearly popping his shoulder out of place. "Sebastian Lowell. I attended Salem's School of the Magical Arts."

"He goes by Ian," Harry added brightly. "You know Theodore Nott?"

"Nott? Yeah, he's friends with the Malfoy boy, innit he?" Hagrid wondered.

"Mm. Well, Theo is my other mate," Harry smiled. "He's in Potions right now. And Draco and I are calling a truce."

"'Bout well time," Hagrid guffawed. "Tween the two of ya, I swear McGonagall's hair's went grayer than it was before!"

Harry giggled. The two chatted for a few more moments before Hagrid said he had to grab Fang (apparently his dog, Harry told Ian later) and go back out into the forest. Harry called his goodbyes and they parted ways, Harry leading Ian around to the Quidditch pitch.

"Are you friends with any _other _dark Creatures?" Ian demanded.

"Ian!" Harry snapped. "That's uncalled for! Those are my friends!"

"Those Creatures are known for killing and murdering. I don't want you around them, Harry," Ian tried to be as gentle as he could.

"That's too bad!" Harry growled, eyes slitting. He slapped Ian with a clawed hand and turned, disappearing back into the castle so quickly that Ian could barely register what happened.

Ian traipsed around the castle looking for Harry the better part of an hour. He knew that, in twenty minutes when Defense Against the Dark Arts started, Theo would be worried if Harry wasn't there. And somehow, Ian doubted Harry would be there – be somewhere Ian could easily find him. But Ian _couldn't _find the boy, and when classes let out, he hastily grabbed the muggleborn girl's arm, asking if she'd seen Harry.

"What? No. Why?" she questioned, tugging her arm out of his grasp. "What happened?"

Ian groaned in frustration. "I said something that upset him and he took off."

Hermione's eyes darkened. "Please tell me you didn't insult Professor Lupin."

"I-I did," Ian admitted, hanging his head.

"Ian! Professor Lupin is the only family Harry has left! Harry loves Remus." Hermione looked around and then sighed. "I understand you've got this protection thing going on for Harry, but Remus would die before he hurt Harry. The man has lost _everything, _Ian. He wouldn't even take the chance of Harry getting hurt. That's why he locks himself up and takes the Wolfsbane Potion during the full moon."

Ian's lip wobbled a little. He was a terrible mate already! "You don't – you don't happen to know where to find him, do you?"

Hermione shook her head. "If Harry doesn't want to be found, you won't find him. He knows the castle better than anybody else, except maybe Headmaster Dumbledore. But he'll come out at some point...he hates going to bed angry."

She then turned and hurried off to her next class.

It was noon when Ian found him. He'd come back to their quarters several times throughout the day, but this time Harry was there, curled up and drinking tea, sitting across from what could only be Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Harry!" Ian yelled.

Harry didn't even look up. "Go away."

"No, Harry, look, I'm–"

"It doesn't matter. I know who's right and that's _all_ that matters. Leave me be."

His Sarkany screamed at him to punish his disobedient mate, but Ian, too, knew who was right. He was wrong to judge people he didn't even know. Just as one Wizard could be evil and the rest kind, one werewolf could be kind or one giant could be kind... And he may have just ruined all of the trust that he'd gained from his little mate.

"Alright." he whispered, turning to go up into the study.

There were three desks inside of it already, but he knew that two more would be added in time. His desk was straight across from the door, turned so that the front of it faced the door and the back faced the wall so that he would have his back to a wall instead of to the door. He hated having his back to the door, it freaked him out.

Ian was one of the elite Hit Wizards of the Ministry of Magic. The difference between Hit Wizards and Aurors was the difference between Policemen and Military. Aurors were trained highly efficiently and put in squads and expected to follow every single rule and look good doing it, while Hit Wizards were just meant to capture the bad guys by any means. Military and Aurors were accustomed to losing their lives – Policemen and Hit Wizards did not die as often. Of course, times being as they are, Aurors and Hit Wizards alike were having a hard time deciding what orders to follow and which to ignore. The Ministry was corrupted and all of them knew that, but the Aurors and the Hit Wizards had always been 'light'. They knew the difference between right and wrong, even if it didn't always seem that way... and that was why Ian had barely had any work in the past year.

His job was actually why he'd come to the UK in the first place. When he'd graduated four years ago (man, when Harry was only _twelve_), they had offered him the highest pay and the best benefits. Not only was he issued the newest broom, but he also had his own bed at St. Mungo's (which was a big deal, because it meant he wouldn't have to pay for stays there), _and _the Ministry would pay to ward his home to keep his family safe. It was an offer he just couldn't turn down.

But now, Fudge was practically corrupt – taking bribes from the likes of Lucius Malfoy, who was loyal to the Dark Lord even though his wife and son were Veela, sending Hit Wizards and Aurors after harmless, innocent civilians... And even listening to that Umbridge woman, who was trying to pass laws against Creatures that were protected by the Ministry. Of course, they would probably _never _be passed – most of the Wizarding World was either a Creature or had family and friends who were Creatures – but it was the thought that made Ian's blood boil.

The constant chatter that had been going on in the Common Room stopped, and Ian perked up with curiosity. From his desk, he could hear the low voices before, but not what they were saying. Now, there was no noise at all... and then Harry's low, cold voice:

"You think this is funny, Dumbledore?"

Ian paid further attention, eyes widening. He'd never heard Harry blatantly disrespect someone to their face, so he was interested as to what in the world was going on. Harry was usually sweet – if a bit stubborn and hard-headed – but now...he sounded like he was seconds away from all hell breaking loose.

"Harry, my boy, I don't mean to upset you–"

"_No,_ Dumbledore, don't even go there! You just told me that my _godfather came back from the dead, _but wasn't it _you_ who told me that it was _impossible _for the dead to come back again?" Harry snarled.

Ian stood, unknowing if he should go to his mate's aid or if he should stay where he was and let his mate fight his own battles. It was a hard decision, but at last, he forced himself to sit back in the chair, legs so tense that he almost _couldn't_ sit.

"Harry – do be calm, my boy – let me explain," pleaded Dumbledore. There was that unnatural silence again, and then Harry was allowing the man to have an explanation. Ian felt bitter, as only minutes ago he had been banished and not allowed to have an explanation...but perhaps, when he better had Harry's trust, he'd be allowed ….

"Early yesterday morning, the Department of Mysteries contacted me saying that the Veil of Death was acting very strangely. The Unspeakable said that it was glowing, and that a great wind surrounded it...and then it spit out your godfather. They did numerous blood tests on him, all coming up with the same result. It was definitely Sirius Black. I arranged for Mr. Lupin and I to go to the Department of Mysteries, as I find that nobody can confirm a person's identity much like their very best friend... and Mr. Lupin found it was, indeed, Mr. Black."

Ian's eyes narrowed a little and he remembered something. Theo and Harry standing in front of the Sarkany Flame, making a wish... the flame jumping, raising, and not acting normally...

He felt his feet slip down the stairs, and he stood behind Harry. Dumbledore looked up at him, and Harry turned, too, eyes teary. Ian patted him gently on the head and Harry gave a small sob, clutching the hand tightly.

"Headmaster... when did the Veil begin acting oddly?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Around eleven o'clock the morning of December tenth."

Ian pulled Harry to him, locking eyes. "Harry, little mate, _what was your wish?_"

Harry sniffled and wiped his eyes, mumbling; "For a large, healthy family."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Mr. Potter, you and Mr. Nott wished upon the Sarkany Stone on the tenth of December? Tell me, did the Flame act oddly after you had wished?"

Ian was rushing out an explanation on the Flame's odd behavior, and Dumbledore listened with rapt attention before wilting a little bit.

"Harry, my boy, undoubtedly you have heard that wishes made upon the Sarkany Flame have a certain knack for being fulfilled in ways the wisher never thought of?"

"Yes, but that's – it's just not possible," Harry whimpered.

"Harry..." Ian murmured, trying to get the boy to calm down.

"Come," Dumbledore stood, eyes set. "We will fetch Mr. Nott and Professor Lupin and then we will be on our way to your godfather's quarters."

– – –

Sirius stretched out on the couch, chatting brightly with James and Lily. James had calmed down quite a bit since coming to Hogwarts, happy to be in the vicinity of his chick again. Sirius was just happy to have both of his best mates with him, and happy that Harry would soon have his parents again. He was worried about how the boy would react, though, because Harry had never been one to mindlessly believe in things... he had a feeling that there would be several curses thrown...

"When Harry's allowed to meet us, we should teach him to be an Animagus," Sirius stated blandly.

"That would be great!" James shouted, eyes big. "What do you think he'd be?"

"A lion," Sirius decided immediately. "Proud and loyal. Or a stag, like you – his Patronus is a stag."

Lily was in the kitchen, which was only a short distance from the sitting room, and called: "You' better not be thinking about teaching my boy a dangerous piece of magic, you two!"

James and Sirius giggled quietly together like school children, and Sirius was struck with how familiar this all was. It felt so nice to be back in a welcoming place with his closest friends where he didn't need to worry about being caught and thrown in jail... it was great. Like his whole dying thing had never happened.

"What do you two want to do today?" Lily asked, coming out of the kitchen drying her hands.

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but the portrait flew open at that exact moment. All three yelled, but then they saw that it was Remus, looking like he'd just stumbled upon something he hadn't wanted to see. He threw his arms out, swirling as if to rush someone back out...

"Gods, Remus, you scared the hell...o," Sirius murmured, eyes huge as he took in the parade behind Remus. "Um.." _Oh._

Dumbledore, Harry, a tall blond man and someone who vaguely looked like Samuel Nott only younger were standing behind Remus. Harry looked mighty different from the last time Sirius had seen him – smaller, more feminine, but still _Harry. _

A Harry who had his wand pointed at Lily Potter.

"Harry – no –" Sirius jumped up.

"I can believe that Sirius is back, spat out from the Veil," Harry whispered, eyes wide. "But James and Lily Potter never went through the Veil in the first place. Who the hell are you and why are you impersonating my parents?"

Lily's wand came out and then she held her hands up in a surrendering way, eyes roaming over Harry hungrily. She barely recognized him as her baby, but there was this feeling in her chest that just told her he was, that he was _hers. _Her baby boy.

"I swear on my magic that I am Lily Anne Potter, nee Evans, married to James Henry Potter and mother to Harry James Potter." magic encased her wrists, and then she quietly murmured, "_Lumos._"

Harry's wand did not waver, even when the tip of her wand had lit up with the light spell.

But Sirius slid forward, arms opening widely. "Please, pup."

Harry's hand shook, and he looked to Remus for confirmation. The man nodded, once, and slowly. Harry gave a great sob and launched himself into Sirius' arms, clinging there.

"You died, you died and I almost – I almost went after you – and oh gods, I missed you, Sirius, I missed you so much!" the boy cried, and Sirius went about soothing him quietly. After a few minutes, Harry was just gasping and then was calmed completely, sniffling every few seconds. He peered over Sirius' shoulder and looked at James and Lily with puffy eyes. "Who are they, Sirius?"

"They came through the Veil with me," Sirius responded, rubbing Harry's back. "They're your parents, Harry. I promise you they are."

"Sirius..."

"Pup, introduce me to these two young men," Sirius interrupted, trying to get Harry's mind off of it. Harry would regret making James and Lily upset in the years to come, Sirius just knew it, so he wouldn't allow it to happen in the first place. "I hear you came into a submissive Sarkany Inheritance. Might these two be your mates?"

"Two of them," Harry nodded, successfully distracted. "I need four. That's Ian – Sebastian Lowell – and Theodore Nott, Theo. Theo, Ian, this is my godfather...Sirius Black."

"You need _four?_" Sirius spluttered, and then laughed. "I always knew you were powerful."

"We're going to Egypt in February," Ian commented blandly. "For the next Meeting." his eyes roamed over James and Lily. James was a dominant Sarkany, he could smell it. But Lily was a Wizard without a drop of Creature blood... he bristled a little, narrowing his eyes.

"What?" Sirius demanded.

"You're a dominant Sarkany," Ian muttered, looking at James. "And she is not a Sarkany at all – she doesn't have any Sarkany blood. Why didn't you mate?"

James scowled. "Is that any of your business?"

"No," Ian smirked. "Merely curiosity."

James rolled his eyes. "My Sarkany wouldn't accept another Sarkany. It happens."

Harry squirmed out of Sirius' hold, glaring at the man who claimed to be his father, and then at his mate. "Both of you play nice," he said.

"But, Harry–" Ian protested.

"No buts."

"Fine."

After a tense couple of minutes of silence, Lily spoke up. "Not that I mind the company, but did you have a particular reason for barging in here, Remus?"

"Yes, actually," Dumbledore replied, interrupting whatever Remus was going to say. "I believe we've found out how you have spontaneously come back to life. Have any of you heard of the Sarkany Flame?"

* * *

><p><em>So. Originally I wrote this chapter around the time when I wasn't planning on posting the story at all, so I know that the reaction is...just plain terrible...and rushed...and blah. Sorry bout that. o-o'' <em>

_LAST CHAPTER: My favorite avenger is Hawkeye, with Captain America in close second. c: Loves me some Jeremy Renner._

_NEW QUESTION: What would your Superhero name be? O:_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Mixed Moments_

___Excerpt:_

Ian loved fortune cookies – mainly he loved reading the silly muggle fortunes on the inside. He pulled his cookie apart as they were walking out of the restaurant.

"'You will have extreme misfortune.' Funny," Ian laughed. "I've felt pretty lucky today."

"That's odd," Theo commented. "_Mine _says 'Someone you value dearly will be injured today.'"

Harry cracked his open and read, "'You will find love in a familiar face.'"

"At least yours is good," Ian chuckled, crumpling up the little piece of paper up into a tiny ball and putting it in his pocket. "What's next?"

~Kymmie


	12. Mixed Moments

_Hey guys! FIRST! Whoever left this review:_

_**It's just fine baby. Glad you are still writing.**  
><em>

_Know that you totally made my day x1000. Seriously. I loved it. It's like my favorite review ever._

_And second: My favorite chapter out of 25 written chapters is coming up next. And I can't wait for you guys to read it even if I make the submissives seem like babies in it xD _

_(Also yes I've written up to 25 chapters, including a backstory for why James isn't mated and one for what happened to Snape's family. That is my favorite scene ever.)_

_Also again (I say also a lot -shot-), I am super excited because this story is coming to an end (you guys are like "WHAT THERE'S ONLY 12 CHAPTERS" and I'm like "WHAT WE'RE ONLY ON THE 12TH CHAPTER" xD) and it's like my favorite piece of writing ever. I love how the plot is coming together. And there is one. Kind of. A bit. Even if it's rushed xD;_

_ALSO, FOR TND READERS: I'm working on the next chapter. c: That is all._

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Twelve: Mixed Moments**

They chatted for a long time.

Ian mostly listened, one ear on the conversation and one ear listening to his mates, making sure that they weren't in danger. He felt particularly protective of them, as if they were in danger because of all of these unknowns. Except, really, there were only two unknowns: the duo that claimed to be Lily and James Potter.

Harry seemed to be sure that the man he was currently curled up against was Sirius Black, and that was enough proof for Ian...but the other two...well, Harry had barely even acknowledged them. He ignored them, and whether it was because he was unsure of who they were or if he just didn't care, Ian was still weary. It was obvious to Ian that James wanted to reach out and touch his little mate, and the man had even tried to once – before Ian growled a low warning to him.

To James, everything that should have been right after meeting Harry was _not _right. His chick was all grown up and only too happy to place himself in the hands of his two mates. James admitted that they both seemed capable of defending and protecting his chick – but that was _James' _job. Not theirs. Except it was theirs, now...and everything just confused and boggled him, because that's what being dead for fifteen years does to you. He'd even found himself jealous of Remus and Sirius, who Harry seemed rather fond of.

"It's dinner time," Remus stated, frowning. "I have to get back."

"I, too, need to take my leave," Dumbledore nodded, standing. "I'll leave it up to you four to decide when we tell the world that the Potters and Sirius Black are alive," he told Harry, Sirius, James and Lily.

The two men departed, and Harry shuffled awkwardly. "We should go, too," Harry told Ian. "Shay said he had some big news to tell us."

"Oh?" Theo asked, getting the hint. "I believe that you are right, he mentioned something to me in Defense."

"Alright, you lot," Ian groaned, standing. "Off we go, then. Goodbye."

Sirius looked up at Harry's standing form with a frown. "Will you come and visit us?"

Harry's eyes traveled from Sirius' form to James and Lily's. "I...we'll see," Harry decided, fleeing the room.

"What can you do?" Theo asked Sirius, shrugging. "Goodbye."

Harry was waiting outside of the portrait, chewing on the skin of his lower lip. It wasn't that didn't want to believe his parents could be alive, it was more of the fact that he _couldn't._ It was just... not possible to believe that. Sirius was another matter entirely, Harry felt. Sirius had actually gone through the Veil, so it was easier to believe he'd come back through the Veil. James and Lily – if they were to really come back from the dead, wouldn't they come from the Godric's Hallow cemetery? He shuddered at that thought, the dead raising from the ground, but then realized a way that would tell him if his parents were alive or not.

_But that's disgusting,_ his mind argued.

_It's the only way, _he argued back, following his mates toward the Great Hall. _We have to dig up their graves._

He sat with Seamus and Seamus' mates at the Gryffindor table, as was decided. Hermione and Ron were also there, chatting brightly to the boy – they hadn't seen him until Defense today, which he'd decided to attend. When Harry sat down, Seamus quieted everyone.

"I have some big news!" he cheered.

"What?" Harry asked, the excitement gripping in his chest and making him excited, too.

"In about seven months, you're going to be a godfather," Seamus replied, eyes sparkling with mirth as Harry tried to comprehend this.

"A baby? Shay – you're pregnant? Oh Merlin. Congratulations!" Harry shouted, encasing his friend in a hug. A spark of jealousy flared through his belly, but he ignored it – his Sarkany hadn't been happy when he came out of the heat without being pregnant, but really, they both knew it hadn't been possible. Then, frowning, "You want _me _to be the godfather?"

"You and Dean," Seamus nodded, smiling tightly. "When the annoying git comes around."

"Of course I'll be the godfather!" Harry laughed, hugging the boy again. "What's wrong with Dean?"

"He's jealous," Finley responded gruffly. "Of the fact that he has no chance with Seamus anymore."

Harry rolled his eyes. "He'll come 'round, Shay. Best friends always do. Right, Ronald?"

Ron spluttered and turned a bright red color, and then nodded his agreement. "'Course."

Seamus looked a lot happier now that Harry and Ron had said this, and the group celebrated happily throughout dinnertime – Hermione even promised to plan a baby shower, which made Seamus laugh, because, in the muggle world, baby showers were for women. Seamus was in no way a woman.

But when his friend wasn't looking at him, Harry couldn't help but be jealous, and it wasn't _all _his Sarkany. He wanted a chick, now, too. It seemed ironic that now Harry was wanting change instead of avoiding it, but he'd never wanted anything as much as he wanted a baby. It was such a terrible feeling, too, tight in his chest and almost choking him.

Theo had noticed something was wrong with Harry, but he didn't say anything. He wouldn't cause his mate embarrassment in public, that would be terrible of him. When dinner was over, though, he and Ian led the smaller boy up to their quarters, and Theo was planning on asking Harry what was wrong. He had worried needlessly, though; when they got inside, Harry immediately perked up and was that little ball of energy again.

He went to the kitchenette, where his mate was currently baking his heart out. It made him smile a little. "Are those for Seamus?" he wondered teasingly.

"Hm?" Harry asked, glancing up. "Yeah, they're for Shay."

Theo just grinned and when back to the living room, opening up his Potions book and planning on reading ahead. Ian was stretched out on the opposite couch, reading a thick novel. The room was so cozy, it made him drowsy...

Something settled itself on his lap and he jerked into awareness to see Harry staring at him determinedly, straddling him.

"Hi, baby," he cooed, nuzzling the boy. Harry said nothing, wriggling around a little. "Harry?"

"Theo," Harry responded, and wriggled again.

"What are you–?" Theo cut off with a small groan that had Ian glancing over. When Harry wiggled around a third time, Theo suddenly understood what the smaller boy wanted.

The Potions book hit the floor with a thump.

– – –

The clock on the wall read nine o'clock. Theo curled his arm around his little mate happily, Ian on the other side of the naked boy. Harry was tracing the contours of Ian's muscles, lost in thought.

"Harry?" Theo murmured, pressing a kiss against the boy's shoulder-blade.

"Mm?" Harry wondered drowsily.

"What's wrong?"

Ian looked at Theo sharply, as if warning him not to upset their sated mate. Theo rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Harry replied, tilting his head to the side but not looking at Theo.

"You've been...weird since dinner. Was it something Seamus said?"

Harry pushed himself into a sitting position, fingers working frantically on the edge of the duvet. "I... guess it was. I'm just so jealous of him!" Harry cried, face flushing bright red.

"Jealous?" Ian asked, shocked. "I thought you liked Seamus?"

Theo's mind was spinning now, thinking of the whole evening. Harry's jealousy of Seamus led to sex... his eyes widened in realization.

"You want a baby," he stated.

Ian went rigid, and Harry stiffened, but nodded. "Really bad."

"But you know that we can't... that..." Ian spluttered. "That it's not possible without another mate?"

Harry sniffled and nodded miserably. "I know."

"Oh, baby," Theo cooed, cuddling the boy close to him. "Don't be upset."

Harry cried against Theo's chest – not sobbing, not wailing, just hot, silent tears dripping down Theo's chest and soaking into the duvet. Ian rubbed the boy's back, frowning, because there was nothing he could do about this sadness – nothing except hope that February came quickly.

December passed quickly and without too much drama. News quickly spread of other submissives' pregnancies: Lexi announced her pregnancy within a week of Seamus, noting that Draco and herself had decided to try for a baby early on because of how quickly Veela reproductive organs stop working. Hannah Abbott and her mate announced a pregnancy, Daphne Greengrass announced hers, and so on. It was socially acceptable for those of Creature Inheritances to have children young because of uncontrollable factors: the first mating with each of your mates (in the case of Veela and Fey, who didn't need to have their temperatures raised to mate) and your Heat are both fueled by pure instinct and therefore you wouldn't think to stop and use a contraceptive. Instead of the cold shoulder regular Wizards would have got, the submissives were showered in congratulations, and questions began to be asked why _Harry _had yet to get pregnant.

Harry took most of his lessons independently, which the submissives were allowed to do because not all of them had mated. The Professors decided that, if they were going to have to teach two children on the free periods, why not just teach a few more if they wanted? Not to mention that, further into the pregnancies, many of the submissives wouldn't be able to get to lessons or be allowed in more dangerous lessons, such as Potions or Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Halfway through December, Harry was still pretty much avoiding his parents – he'd come to terms with the fact that they were, indeed, his parents. A group of Aurors had been sent to take down Lily and James' grave-markers and bring up the coffins, and had been shocked to find that the still-sealed coffins were spotless on the inside... with no bodies. (They were told to keep quiet about it, and they'd done as they were told, too.)

He didn't know _why _he was avoiding them, because really, it had always been his dream to meet them. But now that they were here...now that they'd missed his whole life... it just seemed so unfair. They had even spoken to him about _siblings. _Siblings! As if he wouldn't be an adult in seven months, as if their only child wouldn't be grown when whatever siblings he had were born.

Even Remus and Tonks had gotten engaged – _and _announced their pregnancy, which was apparently only two or three months in. It was as if everyone was mocking him, showing him that _they _could have babies whenever they wanted but _he _would have to wait for months on end before he could even _dream _of having a baby.

That was when he realized what he was really doing. He hadn't been avoiding his parents. He'd been _brooding,_ he'd been having a pity-party for himself and avoiding _everybody. _He hadn't seen Seamus in weeks, or Tonks, or anybody. It was amazing that he hadn't shut out his mates.

Christmas was both _fun _and fun, mostly quiet and spent just with Theo and Ian. The duo had gone out of their way to make Christmas good for the boy, showering him with presents and love. They shared a slow day, beginning with Ian's mother's tradition of hot chocolate with peppermint candy-canes and cinnamon rolls for breakfast and ending it with a feast in the Great Hall and love-making in their quarters. James and Lily had given him an owl (not being informed that he already _had _one), who he'd named Penguin... because, really, if you could see the owl, you'd understand. The so-called 'Snowy Owl' was all black save for its belly. Penguin. Harry had even, surprisingly, given them both somethings – an album of pictures from his school years, a formal invitation to the Egypt Sarkany Meeting, an intricate necklace that featured a jewel-encrusted Sarkany wing for his mother, and a Firebolt for his father... even though he'd still been avoiding them at the time. Sirius, Remus, and Tonks had showed up around lunchtime and shared a fruit-salad with them ("We can't eat a full meal until turkey dinner," Ian had said. "It goes against tradition." "Who's tradition?" Theo had responded. "Mine!"), and Harry found himself drawn to Tonks and her not-visible baby. Ian and Theo had both been amused and had explained to Harry's godfather and Remus that Harry was pining for a baby. (Sirius had choked on an apple chunk, turning bright red and refusing to partake in the following conversation).

Early on January first, Harry's New Years Resolution was to make an effort with the people he'd been avoiding – and his mates.

Ian and Theo would be tied to him until he – or they – died. It wasn't fair for Harry to shut them out or ignore them. It would only hurt all three of them in the long run. The first thing he did when he woke up that afternoon after a long, happy party the previous night was plop himself into Ian's lap and ask if he wanted to go to Hogsmeade this weekend.

A sleepy Theo, who had his head on the armrest of the couch, glanced up at Harry with a raised eyebrow. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm feeling like a right prick, actually," Harry responded brightly. "For being so terrible about everything lately."

"We'll definitely be going to Hogsmeade," Ian replied, glaring at Theo. "What do you want to do today?"

– – –

They found themselves walking down to Hogsmeade with the rest of the students who were in Third Year or higher the following weekend. There was happy chattering everywhere, even as the students were forced to clomp through heaps of snow. A big path had begun being cleared, but hadn't been finished.

"We should eat lunch at Madame Zhu's House of Fortune," Theo stated cheerfully. "I need some good take-out, and magical take-out is the best."

"Is it take-out if you eat it in the restaurant?" Ian wondered.

"Oh, be quiet," Theo muttered good-naturedly, poking out his tongue. Harry giggled giddily, nearly bouncing.

"What should we do first?"

The trio did nearly everything there was to do in Hogsmeade. Honeydukes was first on the list, and Harry bought plenty Sugar Quills, his favorite candy. Theo seemed to be under the impression that Harry didn't _need _anymore sugar, but Ian had just rolled his eyes and grinned. Ian stopped at the Shrieking Shack, awed at it. Harry, in a bit of an eerie voice, whispered:

"I've been in there, you know."

"You _have?_" Ian questioned, shocked. "Was it amazing?"

"It's not even haunted," laughed Harry. "It was used for Remus to change in when he was at school. It's practically impenetrable, probably the safest place on the planet – next to Hogwarts."

Ian was a bit let-down that it wasn't really haunted, and they moved on to Gladrag's. Gladrag's was a rather high-end clothier that seemed out of place in dingy little Hogsmeade, barely got any business except for the school children who had somehow damaged their clothing beyond repair.

Harry needed to pick up some things that McGonagall hadn't gotten – she had a rather good taste in clothing, but Harry valued comfort above style. Theo also needed some things, because an acidic potion spilled all over him the other day, eating through his boots, trousers, socks, and robes – all of which had been his 'best'. He'd been stuck wearing dress shoes and khaki pants and thin, spring robes for the past three days.

Ian watched with great amusement as the assistants in the shop strung Harry and Theo up with tape-measures and pins, even though both already had their measurements. "Just have to make perfectly sure, deary. My, aren't you a cute one? I bet you'd look dashing in bottle green. Bring out your eyes."

After Gladrag's, Ian shrunk the newly-acquired bags (and picked up a few packages of socks for himself, one could never have too many socks) and smiled at the harried-looking duo.

"How about lunch, then?" he asked, to great cheer.

Madame Zhu's really was very good. Harry taught Ian how to use chopsticks, laughing all the while as the man tried to eat his rice with them. As always, the Chinese restaurant's proportions were startlingly large and they asked for take-out boxes in order to take them home for later. Along with the boxes came three fortune cookies.

Ian loved fortune cookies – mainly he loved reading the silly muggle fortunes on the inside. He pulled his cookie apart as they were walking out of the restaurant.

"'You will have extreme misfortune.' Funny," Ian laughed. "I've felt pretty lucky today."

"That's odd," Theo commented. "_Mine _says 'Someone you value dearly will be injured today.'"

Harry cracked his open and read, "'You will find love in a familiar face.'"

"At least yours is good," Ian chuckled, crumpling up the little piece of paper up into a tiny ball and putting it in his pocket. "What's next?"

"I want to grab some Butterbeer to take home with us," Theo decided. They turned and began their journey to the Three Broomsticks.

It was just inside the door that the screaming started.

Harry was accustomed to being the first to rush into things – his resolve hardened, Gryffindor nature coming out, and he whipped around to see what was happening.

"Theodore!" he shouted, eyes wide. Theo and Ian were all the way inside, probably not even having heard the screaming. "Theo, that's Lexi!"

He was out the door before either of his mates could stop him.

A Death Eater had her strung up in the air, upside down, and another was cursing her. They were both cackling wildly. More Death Eaters were crashing through the village, chasing students who couldn't defend themselves and avoiding those who could.

Theo and Ian came running out of the Three Broomsticks, searching frantically for their little mate – who they just barely saw disappearing into the fray.

"Idiotic Gryffindors!" Theo snarled.

* * *

><p>Eeeeee. c:<p>

_LAST CHAPTER: To the sole person who answered (with "Runs With Squirrels"), I think mine would be like...the Celestial Tiger or something.. xD_

_NEW QUESTION: Tell me a silly/funny/nice story about something that's happened to someone/you in real life. Without names or places 'cause I'm not a stalker I just love you guys. -shot again-_

_NEXT: Historic Honor_

_which is my favorite chapter so far_

_because it's so ridiculous but so amazingly WIZARDING WORLD at the same time_

_I dunno_

_~Kymmie_


	13. Historic Honor

****_Hey there! Favorite chapter here!_

_Let me (briefly) 'splain something to you all. When I wrote the first 20 chapters of this story, a few months ago, I had this HUGE thing for clingy/dependent/needy Harry...and indeed all submissives. It seems a bit silly to me now but I do so like this chapter otherwise, so I'll leave the clingy/dependent/needy Harry and submissives in place. If only to giggle at them later._

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Thirteen: Historic Honor**

Harry vaulted over someone lying in the street – a Death Eater, one of the students had hit her with a well-aimed cutting curse, severing her jugular – and tried desperately to find the monsters holding his newest friend in the air. The streets were full, though, and it was near-impossible to pinpoint the duo anymore, but Harry continued trying.

"LEXI!" it was Draco's cry, and Harry glanced around just in time to see the Veela's wings erupt from his back. There was a strangled cry and Harry noticed the right wing catching another Death Eater's chest, sending the man to his knees.

"Mm, mm, mm," tutted a voice close to Harry's ear. "What do we have here..."

Harry spun, glancing at the tall, thick man in front of him. The man had graying hair and a rather wolfish face, a feral grin on chapped lips spread over yellow, crooked teeth. Harry's first instinct was his wand and his second instinct his claws, but he hadn't time for either of those before the man had grabbed him round the waist.

"Cute little thing, aren't you?" hissed the voice in his ear. Harry struggled painfully, feeling the long fingernails digging into his arm even through his cloak. A low keening sound made its way out of Harry's throat, and the Sarkany in his mind pushed ever closer to the front, trying to take over. Harry gladly let it.

Wings burst from his back, too soft to do anything but surprise and maybe bruise the man. Claws, acidic claws, dug down into the arm they were curled around. Harry knew his eyes were slitted, and he hissed a rather vicious hiss. The man let go, stumbling backwards and nursing a sore jaw where Harry's wing had burst up and hit him. It was lucky the wing hadn't snapped his neck. Harry darted forward, sinking sharp claws into a soft, oh so soft belly... he hadn't realized why submissives liked to go for the belly when he was first reading about it, but now he knew.

There would be little time for this man to get to a Healer, but he wouldn't die on the spot. He would suffer and bleed out.

It was a surprisingly delicious thought to Harry's Sarkany, but a sickening one to Harry's Wizard. The keening sound was back again, and Harry understood that the Sarkany in him was calling for his mates... even as it continued to clench and twist the mangled flesh of the attacker's belly.

Harry gained his mind back with a sharp snap, stumbling backwards and landing on the ground. He retched violently, emptying his stomach next to him as he stared in horror at the dying man.

_Why would you do that? _He screamed mentally, tears stinging his cheeks. The cold wind battered his face and the wetness made it worse, but Harry couldn't bring himself to wipe the tears away. He stuck his bloody arm into a snowbank, trying to get all of the blood off of him, the reminder of what he'd just done – even though he hadn't had control of himself. He was still sitting on the ground, and someone stepped on his hand as they ran by, causing him to scream as his fingers were ground and broken by the twisting heal. He could no longer hold his wand in that hand, and who knew what would happen if he tried to use it with his left hand...

Someone grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up. "Harry? Harry, calm down, please calm down, we've got to get out of here..."

"D-draco," Harry cried, moving closer to the familiar body. "Where's – where's Theo? And...Lexi...and Ian.."

"Lexi is inside the Three Broomsticks and that's where I'm supposed to take you if I see you. Come on," Draco heaved him up into his arms when he realized the boy was not going to be moving on his own. "We're the only ones who stayed, you know. Us Creatures."

Harry buried his face in the broad chest, eyes squeezed shut as he babied his right hand and refused to look at his left.

The warmth of the Three Broomsticks was amazing. He was sat down in the back room, next to another warm body. He pried open his eyes, seeing Lexi, who had her eyes shut tightly. Draco had already ran out again.

"It's okay," Lexi whispered, her voice tiny. "He'll be fine."

"What?"

"Draco and the other dominants are reigning in the submissives," Lexi whispered. "Our Creatures naturally tell us to protect those weaker than us. We had little choice in going out like that... Seamus, Hannah, Daphne, and a lot of submissives I don't know are out there... the dominants are pulling them all in here. Rosmerta called the Aurors, but there's no Floo here and it's not safe for us to try to get all the way back to Honeydukes, where there is a Floo."

Harry and Lexi curled together like kittens, and it was oddly comforting. "Are you safe?" he asked, almost inaudibly. "You and...the baby?"

Lexi hesitated, before nodding once. "I'm sore. But the baby is still there, I can feel it. I just know. Veela pregnancies are amazingly strong. They can survive just about anything."

Harry hummed his approval, letting his eyes slide shut and trying to block out everything that had just happened. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid as to rush into things like that...of course Draco would have come for Lexi, he'd been standing right there..but he couldn't help it...like Lexi had said, they'd all had little choice in the matter. Seeing all of those thirteen and fourteen year old children being pushed around by adults... it had made Harry's blood boil.

Someone else joined them, another small, warm body. Harry heard Lexi greet Blaise Zabini's little Fey mate, Sabina Cross. The three of them huddled, waiting.

More people and more people joined them: all Creatures, just as Draco had said. Harry knew there had originally been ten submissives at Hogwarts, and eight of those submissives had been here today. But there had been a great many dominants, and most of them had mated with submissives and stayed at Hogwarts. There was a whole room full of just submissives... and when the last one joined them and the dominants still did not re-enter, Rosmerta informed them all that they were driving away the Death Eaters.

It seemed to take forever, but after a while, blankets were passed out and Butterbeers handed around, the sleepy, traumatized submissives whimpering and keening and cooing, trying to call for their mates. Harry sipped his warm drink, staring around him. Seamus was now tucked in between Harry and Lexi, and the three of them were all cradling his still-flat belly. Seamus hadn't been touched by anything except Finley carrying him in, but the stress and the fear could have had a bad reaction with the baby...Harry could barely allow himself to think of what might have happened.

"Shay," Harry whispered. "Shay."

"Harry?"

"I'm scared," Harry replied. He'd never been one of the people who waited. He was always out in the battle, he always knew what was going on. He was in the front lines, sending curses and defending his teammates. Not knowing what was going on was scarier than being out there himself, and his heart beat wildly.

_Someone you value dearly will be injured today._

_You will have great misfortune._

"I know," Seamus' voice was barely audible. "What if something happens?"

A curse hit the restaurant, making it shake and shudder, panic raising among the submissives.

The sun was setting, Harry could see that from the small window up near the roof on the wall across from him. What was taking the Aurors so long? Why was it taking so long for the Death Eaters to be driven away?

Suddenly, someone burst into the room. About thirty wands were pointed at this someone immediately, but the someone held her hands up carefully.

"I've been sent to Heal," she said, voice scratchy. "My Healers are setting up a ward in the other room."

Harry was led out of the room, left hand clenched tightly in Seamus' and right wrist in Lexi's hand. He was pushed onto a bed and a man began running diagnostics on him, finding only his broken fingers and the gouges in his arms.

"Why are we being healed here?" he asked softly. "Where are the others?"

The Healer glanced up and smiled kindly. "The dominant Creatures, you mean. Healers have set up another ward in the building next door – it's an empty house – and that's where the dominants are. We've been ordered not to move you further than one room."

"Why?"

"A curious one, aren't you?" the Healer chuckled. "Aurors are inspecting the whole village, trying to figure out what alerted the Death Eaters to the fact that there were students – and a great many students – here today. You'll all be holed up here until they find out."

"But the other students..."

"Not many were harmed, and those who were weren't harmed fatally. They'll be healed at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore has said they've all made it there."

Now Harry knew why Filch always took the names of the students down as they left for Hogwarts. In matters like these, Dumbledore would have to report to parents...and he'd have to know who'd arrived and who hadn't.

"What is Dumbledore telling _our_ parents?" Seamus, on Harry's left, demanded of their Healer. The man looked up from running scan's on the boy's stomach.

"That you are all being Healed by professionals and you'll be kept safe until we know whether or not it is safe to leave," the Healer smiled. "I have no doubt that the Minister has ordered a reporter on it, though."

Sure enough, a curvy brunette woman arrived a few hours later, taking pictures and writing down names. Harry was almost interested in what she'd have to write: "Group of submissive Creatures holed up in the Three Broomsticks after Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade Village"?

"You'll go down in history, loves," the woman chirped as she departed, waving the pad of paper in her hand.

"What's she mean?" Seamus called to Rosmerta, who stood anxiously at the door to her pub.

"She means..." Rosmerta looked around, and then nodded Seamus and Harry over. She pointed out the door, and Harry knew _exactly _what she meant.

The ground was littered with no less than forty dead Death Eaters, but probably more than sixty.

They'd wiped out a chunk of Voldemort's followers.

– – –

Theo came to visit Harry early in the hours of the morning. Not many people were sleeping, the attack having taken a toll on all of them. It wasn't every day that a supposedly-safe village was bombarded by attackers looking to kill _students_, of all people.

Theo held Harry tightly, snuffling all over and kissing up Harry's right hand. "I'm so sorry, baby," he mumbled, caressing Harry's face. "We couldn't get to you, baby, people kept getting in the way."

"It's okay," Harry whispered. "Draco had me."

"I know," Theo looked so grateful. "I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."

"Where's Ian?" Harry murmured, curling into Theo's embrace.

"Potion-induced sleep," Theo whispered. "Bellatrix Lestrange got to him... vanished all of his wing bones and broke several of his ribs. Punctured a lung."

Harry's heartbeat increased dramatically. "He'll be okay, right?"

Theo's face was tight. The dark pub, illuminated only by the fading stars (which were slowly but surely being replaced by a lightness in the sky), was filled only with the sounds of breathing for a few moments, before Theo nodded slowly. "Yes. I think. He nearly ...he nearly wasn't. I barely got him in to a Healer before he suffocated."

Harry cried out and threw his arms around Theo, tears trickling down his face. "I love you," he found himself murmuring over and over. "I love you so much."

"Because I saved Ian?" Theo asked, confused.

"No..." the question made Harry laugh a little through his tears. "Because you're so... you're so...I don't know! You're just..._you!_"

Theo smiled grimly and nuzzled his little mate into him, humming approvingly. "And nobody can better be me than me myself," he agreed. "And for the record, I love you, too."

A parliament of owls stormed the pub at half past six, each carrying a copy of the Daily Prophet. Hedwig found her way to Harry, dropping the paper into his lap. He looked at Theo before unrolling it.

**60+ CREATURES DEFEND HOGSMEADE FROM DEATH EATER ATTACK**, the headline read.

_Over one hundred Death Eaters stormed Hogsmeade Village just outside of Hogwarts yesterday (Saturday January 4th) afternoon. Over 60 Witches and Wizards of Creature Inheritance defended the village – and their fellow non-Creature students – from the impending attack, leaving 56 Death Eaters dead and _zero, _that's right, _0, _students dead. _

_Among the Creatures were submissive Harry Potter and dominant Draco Malfoy (whose father was also killed in the attack). One submissive notes, "Draco is different from his father. He worked hard to get all of us [the submissives] out of harm's way."_

_Aurors were called by The Three Broomstick's Madame Rosmerta, who also housed thirty-odd submissives in her pub during the battle. _

_Says she, "They all defended valiantly, but this was not their fight. I gathered them into my pub and I locked the doors tightly, barring the Death Eaters entrance while at the same time barring their mates' entrance. It was a precarious decision, but it was necessary."_

_Among the dead were Lucius Malfoy, Gregory Goyle Sr., Barty Crouch Jr., and Fenrir Greyback. For a full list of the deceased and a full list of the Creatures who so bravely defended the little village, turn to pg9._

_Vinessa Marleck_

_The Daily Prophet._

"At least it wasn't a load of rubbish and lies," Theo said gently.

"How can she talk about the dead like that, though?" Harry wondered. "Sure, they were Death Eaters...but they had families... how is Draco taking it?"

Theo held Harry tightly. "Draco is not very upset, actually. His father was...never a very good influence on him. His mother is free of him, now, however, and is likely to be extremely happy."

"Narcissa didn't like him?" Harry asked, shocked.

"No. She was forced to marry him as punishment," Theo snorted. "She attempted to join the light side of the war...with your godfather, I believe."

Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really."

Harry helped Rosmerta cook a big breakfast for everyone an hour or so later, with several others' help. She seemed tired and drained, shouting that if anybody tried to thank her one-more-time, she'd hex their bollocks off. (When Seamus commented that females didn't have bollocks and therefore that threat was lost on them, she turned her wand on him and cursed his hair bright purple.)

The pub was big, meant to hold around one hundred and fifty customers, so when the Healers were forced to move the rest of the healing dominants into a corner of the pub, it was not a big deal. Harry and Theo ate their breakfast as close to the sleeping Ian as possible, Harry on the end of the man's bed and Theo in a plastic chair next to it.

"Why are we still here?" Harry wondered quietly, using Ian's shins as a pillow.

"The Aurors are... cleaning up," Theo responded hesitantly. "And still searching the village to see what alerted the Death Eaters. They couldn't have possibly known we'd all be here today – and they wouldn't attack the village unless it was a Hogsmeade day, because there's no point. Hogsmeade is near-empty any other day."

Harry agreed mentally with this, frowning. "What if they had...an informant. A...mini Death Eater?"

Theo's eyes narrowed. "A student?"

He scanned his mind, trying to find anything off about the Hogsmeade visit. There had been next to no Slytherins, only those few muggleborns or half-bloods that got in, and of course the Creatures. Voldemort hated Creatures.

"In Slytherin," Theo decided. "An informant in Slytherin."

He rushed off, then, bursting through the door and calling for an Auror.

"Yes?" a rather harried-looking young Auror questioned.

"I would stop your search of the Village. I think I know how they knew."

He explained quickly to the curious Aurors, who looked gob-smacked as to how _they _hadn't thought of that.

"In Slytherin," the Auror in front of him stated absentmindedly. "Thank you, boy. You and your friends inside deserve the highest honor."

"No, sir. We were only doing what was right," Theo protested.

"You lot saved countless students who were unable to defend themselves. You stopped the attack. You somehow managed to come out with the upper-hand without losing a single person. Maybe the Aurors should look in to having a Creature unit – would you be interested?"

"No, sir," Theo smiled kindly. "But my mate's other dominant is a Hit Wizard. Perhaps you could tempt him."

He turned on his heel and slipped back inside to find both of his mates peacefully sleeping, Harry curled onto the end of the bed, Ian stretched across the rest. Smiling contentedly, Theo settled into the plastic chair and watched over his sleeping mates.

_I've already got the highest honor, _he thought. _Getting to have these two as my mates._

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><p><em><em>_Have I mentioned how much I love this chapter? No? Well I do. Like a lot. I dabbled in the idea of maybe making the informant Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff, but in the end I decided it would be more realistic for a 'sneaky' Slytherin to have thought of something like that. Also I just noticed that I never tied up the loose end of just who the informant was. Maybe I'll mention it..._

_LAST CHAPTER: Urp. I told most reviewers the story of my sister asking "Where Earth" was. That's boring now. Okaaaay. So yesterday my dad had shoulder surgery and my mother, two sisters and I were waiting in the waiting room for him. One of my sisters, quite out-of-the-blue, told my mom: "Mama, you're going to buy my first diapers for my first son." I, of course, ever the one to split hairs, demanded: "What if your first baby is a girl?" and my mom turns around and whisper-yells, "FIND THE TRASH-CAN!"_

_A few minutes later, the same sister (and actually the same one who asked where Earth was) asked my mom, "Aunt Tiff had Nicky when she was FOURTEEN?" My mom was like, "Yep." Sister: "WHY?" And then, just quietly and as if she didn't even realize she said it, my mom responds: "I dunno, I guess she couldn't find her barbies or something."_

_NEW QUESTION: If you could see any scene in the upcoming chapters (not including smut, if you didn't notice, I don't write that xD), what would it be? If I like the idea for your scene, I may dedicate a chapter to you and write it. c:_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Finding February._

_BEFORE WE GO:  
><em>

_TND IS NOW FINISHED. Which means I can justify maybe thinking of writing another fic, especially since I'm almost done writing this one. I'm actually semi-working on a fic called "A Mirror's Power." _

_A summary: [A wife who loses her husband is called a widow. A child who loses his parents is called an orphan. But there is no word for a parent who loses a child, because that is a pain simple words cannot describe.] In which Lily Potter gave birth to twin boys and lost one on November 3, 1981 - three days after Voldemort attacked their home in Godric's Hollow. Little did the Potters know, their son was still alive. The boys grow up apart, attending different schools and missing each other by just a hare's breadth. When they meet at 16, they rip up society's view on everything, showing the world that not everything is always black and white.  
><em>

_I've written seven chapters for A Mirror's Power - a prologue (I call my prologues chapter "0") and chapters 1-6. I've read AMP 3 times - the first when I wrote it, the second when I edited for grammar mistakes, and the third when I edited out a small character I didn't need. EVERY single time I read it, I cry. I bawl. It's very...sad.  
><em>

_Here's an excerpt:_

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><p>He suddenly looked away, trying not to cry. He hated being a little boy with no mummy and no daddy and just his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. He knew, he just <em>knew <em>that his daddy and mummy would never hit him and never make him go hungry because they would be just like him and so they'd never let him be sad. If he was a freak, they had to be freaks. And birds of a feather flock together, even Aunt Petunia had said so. But they were dead, and he was alive, so he had no birds of a feather. And that was kind of sad, don't you think?

"Harry? What's wrong, love?" Emily asked, staring at the little boy as she got ready to leave. "Are you hurting?"

"No," Harry responded automatically, knowing that he wouldn't be allowed to ignore her.

"Then what's wrong?" She wondered, petting his hair. It still had that baby-soft feel to it.

"I was just thinkin'," Harry mumbled, looking away. "I'm fine."

Emily pursed her lips and made him look at her, finger under his chin gentle but firm. "You can tell me anything, Harry. I promise I will never hurt you like your relatives did. What were you thinking about?"

Harry sniffled. "I-I just thought that maybe my mummy might've been a little like you," he whispered, voice tiny.

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><p><em>What do you think? Most of the chapters will be written in Harry's point of view - which means in the first 3-4 chapters, they're in the POV of a 4 year old. Some will be in the other little boy's POV. God this story makes me lipwibble just thinking about the first few chapters. xD' <em>


	14. Finding February

******_  
><em>**_Hi guys! 'Sup? Summer is here, no?_

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Fourteen: Finding February**

The sun was high in the sky when Harry stirred. Immediately, it looked, people all wanted to know: 'is it true?'

What 'it' was was beyond Harry, who just wanted to cuddle up to his mate and be left alone, but it seemed that was not to be. Someone shoved a newspaper into his hand and asked him, "Is the article telling the truth?"

Harry rolled his eyes at Theo, who looked amused, and then glanced down at the paper. The headline jumped out, reading **ONE YOUNG COUPLE'S WISH UPON THE SARKANY FLAME; GRANTED!** ...Harry groaned and let his head fall back, handing the newspaper back.

"It's about my parents, isn't it?" he wondered lightly.

"Yes," the girl nodded.

"It's true, then. Ta-ta," he murmured sarcastically, waving her away.

Theo snorted into his Butterbeer and avoided Harry's eyes. That was okay, because Harry wasn't looking at him anyways: he was pondering the situation. Had his parents decided to tell the world because of the attack yesterday, or had it been pure coincidence? Honestly, Harry had expected the 'news' to come much sooner, as Sirius wasn't known for his patience and had been locked up for most of his life already... he wouldn't want to delay his freedom. He decided that they had 'come out' because of the attack.

"Harry?" Theo murmured.

"Just thinking," Harry told him, smiling tightly. "When do you think they'll let us go home?"

"Dunno," Theo shrugged. "Hopefully soon, I'm getting restless."

But it became one o'clock, and then three o'clock, and then six o'clock and dinner was served with no signs of them being released. The sun had well set when there was a huge commotion outside, and then a young Auror peeked his head in sheepishly and called,

"Mr. Potter? Your ...parents are outside."

"Let them in," Theo responded for Harry, who he thought would probably turn them away. Lily and James – and, surprisingly, Sirius – burst in, worried looks in their eyes put at ease when they spotted the trio in the corner.

"I was so worried," Lily sighed, sinking into a chair with ease. Her thin fingers worked at the edge of her jacket and she stared off into space. "When Dumbledore said that there was an attack on Hogsmeade – and that you weren't back yet – I thought..."

Harry looked at his toes. "Yes...well, I probably would have been, had Theo and Ian not put out specific orders to whoever found me. They were to bring me straight to the Three Broomsticks. I ...went into shock and didn't really realize what was happening."

Theo frowned grimly. "Yes, what was that? You've never reacted that way in all of our years at Hogwarts."

Harry stretched until his back popped and then answered, voice tiny. "Yeah, well, my Sarkany doesn't usually take over and force me to rip somebody's stomach out."

"_You _– er – you're the one who..." Theo looked shocked and then amused. "Harry, I think you'd not be so disgusted if you knew exactly who it was."

"I think I still would be," Harry protested.

"It was Fenrir Greyback," Theo said. "The child-murderer, the man who liked to torture innocent civilians before leaving them to bleed out – or change into a Werewolf. Harry, you just gave him a taste of his own medicine."

"I killed Fenrir Greyback?" Harry asked, stupefied.

"Good on you, mate," Sirius said, breezily. "What's wrong with this one, then?"

Harry and Theo glanced at each other and then to Ian's still-sleeping face. A few hours ago, the man's breathing had hitched and changed, signifying that the sleeping potion had worn off and he was just naturally sleeping now. Theo muttered tightly,

"Bellatrix Lestrange got to him."

Sirius hardened, eyes gaining a steely glint. "My dear cousin. Please tell me somebody offed her."

"Unfortunately, no," Theo scowled. "I would have, but..."

"But as it was, he barely got me to a Healer in time for me not to suffocate and keel over," Ian's sleepy voice mumbled, his eyes opening. "Broke three ribs and punctured a lung, and all the wings in my bones – I mean, all the bones in my wings were vanished."

Harry and Theo showered Ian with hugs and kisses, fawning over him, making sure he was alright. James watched with a little, amused smile. These boys were good for _his _boy.

"Alright, mothers," Ian grumbled. "I am perfectly fine, just a bit sore, now would you do me a favor and give me your Butterbeer?" he asked Theo, reaching out. "I'm thirstier than thirsty."

Theo handed the bottle over, watching with good humor as it was drained. "You're probably hungry, too. I'll go see if there's any leftovers from dinner."

"Thanks, love," Ian mumbled groggily, pulling Harry to him and nuzzling him. "And how about _you? _Were you alright?"

Harry looked up under his eyelashes to see his parents and godfather looking at him with interest – obviously they wanted to know, too. He shrugged a little, nonchalantly. "I went into shock after my Sarkany forced me to kill Fenrir Greyback. I just kind of...fell on the ground and freaked out. Somebody stepped on my hand and broke all of my fingers, and I had a few gauges from where Greyback grabbed me, but other than that it was just shock."

"Ah, see, now you know how it feels to have someone break your fingers," Ian teased, kissing Harry's head. "I'm sorry that happened, but to be fair, if you hadn't run off when you heard Lexi scream, you would have been safe with us."

Theo rejoined them with a plate of food that had been reheated for Ian, and the man hungrily began eating. Sirius began speaking brightly.

"So, Dumbledore says that as soon as the Aurors are done speaking with the Slytherins – apparently there was an informant among the students? – you'll all be allowed to head home.."

Theo smirked a little. "Harry was the one to figure out there was an informant."

"You figured out they were in Slytherin, though," protested Harry, who looked up from trying to prod Ian into eating more.

"Smart little buggers, you are," James murmured gently. "So, listen, Harry..."

"No, wait," Harry panicked, glancing up with big eyes. "First I...I want to apologize. For being a right git to you two the last month or so. I was just... I couldn't come to terms with you two being...well, alive."

James beamed, the biggest smile Harry had ever seen. "Don't worry about it, Harry, really. We understand."

Harry relaxed a little into Ian's arms. The man was perked up, curious as to what his mate's father had to say.

"We were wondering if you'd move in to the Potter Manor with us this summer," Lily spoke lightly, trying to make her voice sound as if this wasn't something she really, really wanted. "And next summer, and for however long after that. Sirius and Remus and Tonks are all moving in and we figured...well, why not have _all _of our family under one roof?"

Harry shifted a little uncomfortably. "You want me to move in...with you?"

James nodded quickly. "You and your mates. Remus and Tonks are going to have a baby in May or so, and your mother and I have decided we'd like another chick, and you'll be having a chick sooner or later..."

Harry looked to his mates. "Honestly... we'll have to talk about it," the words were tense and a little disjointed. "That's ...a lot of people, really."

"I think what Harry's trying to communicate to you is that there will be five of us by this summer, probably, and most likely a baby on the way. Five Sarkany and a baby Sarkany. Not to mention a Werewolf and an unmated dominant Sarkany, plus a witch with no Creature blood at all. And other children. It's just not... it might not be the best idea," Theo murmured, looking away from his mate's parents. "We don't know what the other mates will be like, what their views will be..."

"Right," Lily whispered thickly. "Well, just think about it, okay? It's not like we'll be in close quarters."

"Potter Manor is huge," agreed James. "You'd have a whole wing to yourself."

Harry curled in to Ian, and the Potters realized this particular conversation was over. Sirius began a good-natured griping about how he'd be the only one of his friends without a wife and kids soon, and James commented that Sirius never _had _been the commitment type, and Theo watched in amusement from his seat next to the bed.

"Theodore Nott," Ian grumbled. "Get in this bed this second, young man. It's too cold."

Theo laughed loudly, finding himself pulled into the actually somewhat tiny hospital cot by two pairs of eager hands. The trio nuzzled up together, having to sit practically on top of one another to all fit.

"You guys had better not get hurt very often," Theo warned. "I don't think we'll be able to do this much longer."

Harry giggled, curling in on himself to make some more room for Theo's legs. "Yeah, especially if the other two mates are as big as you lot."

After a while, Lily, James, and Sirius departed – with promises that they'd all be home soon. Harry cooed from where he was half-way pressed between Ian and Theo, warm and happy. Two great rumbles, one from Theo and one from Ian, were his reply, and they all settled in to wait out the remainder of their stay at the Three Broomsticks.

– – –

The morning of January 6, 1997 was cold and foggy, and though it had only been two days since the Creatures were first trapped in the Three Broomsticks, it seemed like it had been years. It was still very early when Madame Rosmerta threw open her doors and began rousing her guests, knowing they'd want to know the exact moment when they were 'free' again. Sure enough, a great cheer rose around the room, and though she offered for them to stay for breakfast, none of them stayed put.

As they paraded through Hogsmeade, shop-owners and civilians who lived in the village stepped out of their house and applauded. It was like nothing Harry had ever seen before – this gratefulness, this honor... he was floating on cloud nine as the village thanked them. Finley summed up all of their thoughts in a succinct little, "We had the choice to defend or flee, and we did what was right. No thanks is needed."

But it appeared that even Hogwarts had the same idea as the village, for when the large group of Creatures stepped through the gates, a roaring applause went up. All of Hogwarts' residents were spilled onto the grounds, the students in neat rows, applauding as if their lives depended on it. The overwhelming shock had almost seventy Creatures pausing on the hill before they made their way down, meeting the Professors who were in the front lines.

McGonagall shook Harry's hands furiously, smiling and looking just so, so proud. "You prevented a great many student deaths," she spoke to them all. "And you have made all of us extremely proud."

Dumbledore, at a feast in their honor that night, said: "What we have on our hands is a war, and wars are always full of hard decisions. But when we have chosen to defend those who cannot defend themselves instead of getting ourselves to safety..._that _is when we have chosen the right decision."

Harry did not want honor, though, or feasts, or pretty words. He wanted Hogsmeade and Hogwarts to realize they'd not chosen, they'd not had any choice – and that many unhonored heroes had done the exact same as they had and never gotten any thanks for it, just death. He was done with feasting, and he made this known by standing irritably and leaving the room.

The other Creatures followed his example, and Harry was almost afraid that they'd get another feast for refusing 'honor', but thankfully there was none in the following days. Dumbledore had gotten the picture.

James and Lily came around more now, and Harry was happy to have them. It felt nice getting to know his parents now that he wasn't roiling in jealousy and discontent. They acted like they genuinely liked his mates, too, which was a big plus – because if they had acted any other way, he wouldn't have looked at them twice. Sirius, Remus, and Tonks had all been to visit him, too, and Harry was absolutely delighted to find that Tonks was showing now – just a small bump, but a bump nonetheless. Four months in, they had a due date – May 14. Tonks said that she was already wishing the baby was out of her.

On January 20, Hannah Abbott and her mate announced their impending marriage (which was not necessary, as the Ministry viewed mated Creatures _as _married, but Hannah's family wanted a wedding), which broke up the monotony of the post-Christmas-hols period, shaking Hogwarts into excitement. They married on February first, exactly two months after they met, in the Great Hall at sundown. Though most people would view marriage after two months as scandalous, Hannah and Logan knew they'd be together the rest of their lives – the fact that they had mated was proof of that much. So it was not as scandalous as it would have been, but it still caused confusion amongst the people who didn't understand.

Remus and Tonks decided their marriage would be on February 25th, with no real importance on the date except that it was before their baby would be born and after Harry and his mates and James and Lily would get back from Egypt.

February fourth found Harry, Ian, and Theo congregated in their quarters, arguing over what they were going to take with them. Ian wanted Harry to pack warm clothes, 'just in case', while Theo said that it would give him heat stroke and dictated that Harry should wear light, airy clothing. Harry was just irritated and had left them to fight over what was being packed in that suitcase and went to pack a different one.

"I knew we shouldn't have left the packing till last minute," fretted Theo when the clock struck midnight, meaning they'd have to be at the Ministry-approved International Port-Key in four hours. It was around that time when they noticed Harry missing and found him asleep in the closet, using the clothing in his suitcase as a pillow.

"Well, I guess we see what _he _thought of our argument," Ian chuckled, scooping the smaller boy up. "His heat is getting closer, isn't it?"

"Yes," Theo nodded. "He's acting just the same as last time, which won't fare well for whatever mate he chooses, because when he woke up after mating with me, he decided it would be fun to throw everything in his vicinity at me."

Ian guffawed, and then promised that they'd make sure there was nothing that could hurt anybody in their rooms.

Ian was actually very nervous about the fact that, when they left Egypt on the fifteenth, they would most likely have at least one more person in tow. He didn't know how Theo could stand it. His mind kept repeating over and over that he'd have to stand by and watch his little love get pummeled by a dominant he may or may not mate with. It was terrifying – even though, logically, he knew that the dominant wouldn't aim to kill, and the injuries wouldn't be permanent.

He was shaking like a leaf as they set out a few hours later on foot, finding the Port-Key just outside of Hogwarts' wards. Lily and James were already there, the latter looking ruffled and sleepy, their bags on the ground.

"Ready?" Lily asked. "Grab your things, we've got one minute."

Ian grabbed his and Harry's suitcases, then steadied Harry as the drowsy boy nearly fell face-first into the snow. The trio grabbed on to the empty soup can just in time to be whisked away by a pull behind their navels.

Ian half-expected a strange, Egyptian tune to be playing in the background when they arrived in the steadily-lightening country, like in the muggle movies he'd seen. The air was dry to the visitors who had just been surrounded on all sides by mounds of snow.

"Ah, our visitors have arrived," a deep voice intoned, and Ian glanced up at a tall, spindly, smiling man. "Follow me and I will take you to the Meeting place."

* * *

><p><em>Wooo. c: Also, before anybody asks: I thought it was kind of odd how the WW liked to single people out for things they've done, but never congratulated a group on protecting people...in my mind, this reaction to the Creatures returning home would have been 'normal' for the wizarding world. c: Even though none of them want recognition..xD<em>

_Also, with the introduction of the new images thinger, I've decided to finally show you guys something I've been working on for a while! Simply go here:_

_sunset-on-heartache(dot)webs(dot)com._

_That link there is my "fanfiction helper"! It'll give you guys readily-accessible information, such as the newest updates, character names and ages, birthdates for main characters (sometimes), and so on. On the "Photos" page you can see a bigger version of the HPATSF cover, which I hastily made fifteen minutes ago upon finding out we could use images now...c:_

_And hey, if any of y'all wanna make me art for HPATSF, feel free! You can PM me a link to it or leave it in a review, and if you don't mind, I'll put it in the gallery! C: I love art...x)_

_I DON'T REMEMBER LAST CHAPTER'S QUESTION SO I'M NOT GONNA ANSWER IT SORRY._

_New Question: Pretend Harry is getting a pet - not an owl, rat, or toad. What would it be? (if you say 'dog' or 'cat' or 'bird', tell me WHAT KIND! c:)_

_[also remember that most usually the questions I ask aren't going to be put in the story they're asked in. Sneaky, huh?]_

_NEXT CHAPTER: I CAN'T SAY THE NAME OR ELSE IT'LL BE SPOILED SILLY CHAPTER NAMES_

_-toddles off to go work on HPATSF and AMP-_

_~Kymmie_


	15. Double Dominants

**Hola Kymmie here how are you guys? c: here's another chapter that demonstrates Kymmie's problem with rushing right into things... xD''**

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Fifteen: Double Dominants**

The Egyptian Meeting was quite different from the Winter Meeting that past December, Harry decided upon entering the building. First, there were no strict times – you arrived when you arrived and nobody looked down upon you for being five minutes or an hour late. Official Mao said that the time restrictions were placed by the Veela council and that it was too stuffy for their preferences. Harry quite agreed.

The dominants also did not have to sit or stand on a dais in front of the whole crowd. They had a special section in the back of the room where they sat and mingled, chatting with each other and friends who were already mated. Harry found this relaxing, for some reason, even though he was dog tired.

Another difference was the fact that there were children here and families that didn't seem to be related to the unmated submissives or dominants. Theo leaned in and explained quietly that the Sarkany Meetings were always for all Sarkany, a sort of gathering rather than just for finding mates. There were no Sarkany who were prohibited from joining the gathering, but Sarkany could be thrown out if they caused disruptions.

Harry napped quietly at a table that was set aside for Ian, Theo, James, Lily and himself. Though there weren't strict arrival times, the Sarkany had set a time to begin scenting: eight o'clock. This was the time when no more unmated submissives were allowed inside until the scenting of the day was over. It also gave Harry two whole hours in which he could sleep freely (if somewhat uncomfortably) with his head on his arm while he waited.

Theo was currently examining the 'competition', so to speak. There were a lot of dominants he recognized from the Winter Meeting and even more that he didn't recognize. Among them was a somewhat-familiar face of a man who was quite obviously a Weasley. Theo pondered what would happen if Harry _did _mate to this Weasley – it would mean he'd be eternally linked with a woman he found rather annoying, but it also meant that Harry would be eternally linked to his best friend. It wouldn't be all bad, he guessed...the Weasley man looked nice enough, and he had a rather infectious smile.

"Who are you staring at?" Ian wondered.

"The ginger," Theo whispered. "That's Ron Weasley's older brother...William, I think."

Ian nonchalantly glanced at the man, and then outright looked at him. If the two of them weren't careful, William Weasley would realize they were staring at him and wonder why.

"He looks like an okay guy," Ian smirked. "Better than that one."

The man Ian was nodding to was making crude gestures with his hands to entertain the group of men that surrounded him. At that exact moment, a loud round of laughter floated over to them and James wrinkled his nose.

"I sure hope Harry doesn't scent _him._"

Ian, Lily, and Theo all agreed, disgusted by the group of immature dominants. How could they expect to take care of a submissive when they had never moved past a middle-school mindset? It was frankly discouraging.

Breakfast was served at seven and Harry was woken up for it, though he barely swallowed two chunks of fruit before falling asleep again... nearly in his plate. Ian carefully pushed the plate away from his little mate's face, rolling his eyes with good humor.

"Silly boy," he murmured fondly.

"It's kind of our fault he's so tired, you can't blame him," Theo laughed. At Lily's scrunched up face, he hurriedly explained: "We were up late packing. Ian and I couldn't agree on what was to go in the bags so we kept arguing, which kept Harry up."

"S_uuu_re," James teased, patting his son's head.

Harry was still groggy when scenting started, but Ian forced him up, tapping his cheeks gently and threatening to get a bucket of water.

"N-no!" Harry cried, eyes wide, drawing a bit of attention.

"Silly love," Ian chuckled. "Come on, go along and do your thing, kid."

Ian and Theo traipsed after Harry, watching the small boy carefully. In order to scent, the submissives had to enter the section set aside for dominants, and it was every mated dominant's nightmare. Of course, the dominants were perfectly polite, but it still made Ian's skin crawl with distrust.

Harry traveled around the tables and eyes followed him from table to table, as though disappointed, before snapping back to see the new submissives in front of them and repeating the pattern. Harry looked to be on a war-path, seemingly knowing exactly where he was going, but he kept getting side-tracked. He sat for moments at a time across from dominants before deciding they weren't right and taking off again, gaining more and more energy as the morning went on.

Ian sat down hard across from the Weasley boy they were watching earlier. He groaned.

"My feet are so sore and it's only been three hours!" he complained, watching Theo trail after their mate protectively.

William cocked his head and his lips quirked. "American!" he said, eyebrows raised a bit in surprise – the Sarkany gene wasn't native to America, after all. "Your submissive is searching for another mate? I'm Bill, by the way. Bill Weasley."

"Ian Lowell," Ian replied in a somewhat chipper voice. "And yes, he is. Little ball of energy, that one," he griped, nodding toward where Harry was now having a staring contest with the largest dominant in the room. "Jeez, he's going to get himself murdered."

Bill laughed, eyes sparkling. "Who's that following him?"

"His other mate. He needs four," Ian said in an off-hand matter. "I actually think you know him, or your brother does – see, he's Ron Weasley's best friend."

Bill frowned in thought, and then his eyes widened. "That's _Harry Potter?_" he demanded. "The last time I saw him he was fourteen and we'd just got done watching the Quidditch World Cup."

Harry bounced over to them, now, crawling into Ian's lap and looking at Bill with great curiosity. His little nose was working overtime taking in all the scents. "Hey...you're...you're Ron's brother, aren't you?" he wondered.

"You know he can't talk to you until you mark him," Theo reminded Harry gently, eying Bill with a mixture of distaste and interest.

Harry took up a staring contest with Bill, head cocked slightly to the right, and then snapped out of it when he heard a pair of dominants talking. He was gone in an instant to examine them instead.

"Don't take it personally," Ian advised, stretching. "He's close to his heat, so he's all over the place."

"I see," Bill eyed Harry silently for a moment before turning his body to the submissive who had just arrived in front of him.

– – –

Harry curled up sleepily on Ian's lap, poking at his food with little interest. "I'm hungry," he complained, but made no move to eat.

"There's food right in front of you," Theo laughed.

Harry stared at it for a moment before nibbling on a piece of shrimp thoughtfully.

"Did you meet anybody interesting?" James wondered, stretching.

"Plenty of people!" Harry began to babble about everyone he'd seen, and who he wanted to go see again, and who his Sarkany had outright rejected. Bill Weasley seemed to get a lot of attention, Harry mentioning everything he could remember about the man. He was a Curse-Breaker and was 26 and sometimes wore a fang-shaped earring and was Head Boy in his Year at Hogwarts and, and, and, and.

"I take it you like Bill?" Theo asked, amused.

Harry cocked his head, and then shrugged. "I guess so. But there was also this guy..."

Harry proceeded to chatter on about another man he'd examined (cough, cough, stared at).

The following morning, Harry split his time mainly between these two. Bill Weasley and Wyatt Anderson seemed to have both pulled Harry in – and he'd not even spoken to either of them!

But it was only eight-fifteen when Harry and Bill could be seen racing through the building like hooligans. Harry had marked Bill and Bill was chasing Harry as if his life depended on it. Theo and Ian sat down at a table – Lily and James were mingling with another group of Sarkany at the moment – with frowns on both of their faces.

Bill inevitably caught up to the energetic little submissive, who was only too happy to plop a shy little kiss on the man's nose and tug him over to sit with Ian and Theo.

Ian waggled his eyebrows. "Told you he was a little ball of energy."

"I believe you now," Bill said, bright blue eyes sparkling.

"Show me your wings!" Harry pleaded, sitting on his knees on the chair. "I've never seen them before!"

Harry's wings, which had been all-white two months ago, now had purple and orange scales on the inside. Half of the scales were still white, though. His wings looked like a sunset. They fluttered a little in the boy's excitement.

Bill's wings unfurled from his back slowly, as if with great practice, and Harry eyed them happily. They were huge, twenty-five feet at least, and bright green. Green! Ian had never seen a Sarkany with green wings. They somehow made Bill's hair and eyes stick out without being gaudy.

"Pretty," Harry murmured, hand darting out to touch them gently. Ian closed one eye, pretending to wince. A Sarkany's wings were ten times as sensitive as... well, sensitive manly parts. Harry obviously didn't know this and jerked back when Bill stilled and moaned under his hand, flushing bright red as he did so.

"Harry, you can't just go around petting people's wings," Theo explained gently, trying not to embarrass the boy further. He was reverting quickly to a childlike manner – his heat was getting even _closer._ "Each scale has a dozen nerve endings, meaning it feels amazing when you touch them."

"But...we preen," Harry murmured, eying Bill with the greatest curiosity, as if he'd never seen the man before.

"You preen the back, feather-like scales," Ian corrected. "They're softer and don't have as many nerves in them."

"I didn't mean to scare you," Bill added hastily. "Maybe it would be best if I..." he curled his wings back into their hiding place in his back. "Anyways. Tell me about you."

Harry immediately beamed and began popping up and down in his seat, chattering away happily. Bill was good at keeping a conversation going, and Ian was extremely interested in the Quidditch Cup where Bill and Harry had met. Quidditch wasn't as popular in America so Ian hadn't had the opportunity to go to the game. Neither Bill nor Harry was particularly happy to talk about it, however, and Ian later found out why – a Death Eater attack, the official re-opening of the war.

"Some nutter stole my wand and cast the Dark Mark," Harry said, rolling his eyes. "And then blamed it on a House-Elf who got in trouble for carrying a wand."

"You attract trouble, don't you?" Ian demanded, scowling.

"Like a magnet!" Harry grinned, lips quirking in a way that made Ian want to lean right over and kiss the hell out of him. 'Snog', Theo would say – Ian still wasn't up-to-date on all of the English slang. Out of respect for Bill, however, he refrained.

After dinner that day, with the four of them sitting together – James and Lily were sight-seeing – Bill glanced over to Harry and asked, "Treacle Tart, right?"

Harry lit up like a light-bulb. "You remembered!"

Ian could only speculate that this was the moment Harry became taken with Bill. Not every day that a guy remembers his kid brother's best friend's dessert – even rarer when you had only met the kid once, two years prior. Ian was impressed.

– – –

The third day was a bit different. Harry bounced constantly back and forth between Wyatt Anderson and Bill, getting to know them both, and Ian was sure that there was going to be a battle to the death if the boy didn't stop teasing both of them.

Wyatt was a tall, somewhat lithe man of nineteen who had dark hair and dark eyes and pale, unmarred skin. He had graduated from Beauxbatons two years ago and had been working as an intern to a Healer in Scotland ever since. He had a twin sister who was a submissive and had been mated at sixteen and now had three sons.

Ian actually liked Wyatt a lot, which was saying something – the kid was trying to mate with Ian's mate, after all. Maybe it was the fact that Wyatt, too, had a different accent than the others (and a very peculiar one at that, sort of a mixture between American, English and French). Either way, Wyatt was quickly worming his way into Ian's 'good' books. He was a bit dark, silent and brooding most of the time – the rare moments when Harry caused a smile to split across the boy's face caused him to look like a completely different person.

Wyatt was the one who joined them for dinner this time. Harry must have picked up on the fact that Ian was more receptive to Wyatt than to Bill, and Theo was not interested in either – because he was trying a lot harder now with Wyatt than he had with Bill. In the dominant's section, Ian could see Bill looking a little let-down, but nonetheless attempting to interact with the other submissives.

"But Theo my belly isn't hungry enough," Harry protested when Theo, seeing how little food Harry had placed on his plate, spooned some more on. "And I don't like that!" he added, poking some sauce-covered pork pieces with his fork.

"You're never going to get any bigger if you don't eat, kid," Ian pointed out, not really paying attention. He trusted Theo had the situation under control – which made Ian feel like they were parents instead of mates, which made him shudder a little. But really, Harry was more a child than an adult right now, anyways – why they were even allowing him to attempt to pick out another mate while he was this far gone was beyond Ian.

"You'll need to be bigger if you want to carry a baby safely," Theo finally burst, looking frustrated. Harry's lips parted in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yes, really," Theo said, eyebrows flying up as he watched Harry make an enormous effort to eat more (which ultimately ended with most of it in the toilet, but at least he tried).

"So you want a baby, then," Wyatt said later, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. Harry had insisted they sit on the floor because he felt a sense of duty to allow the couches to be free in case any pregnant people or children needed them. Ridiculous, in Ian's opinion, but you just can't argue with Harry – it never ends well.

"Mhm," Harry smiled happily, rolling onto his hands and knees and staring at Wyatt happily. "Your sister has babies?"

Wyatt's lips quirked a little – he had dimples, Ian found, and incredibly adorable dimples at that. It turned the hardened nineteen-year-old into a toddler in Ian's eyes.

"Three. All boys," he added, and then was looking curious. "You're an only child," Wyatt stated quietly. "But ...it's rare for a Sarkany to only have one child?"

Right, the moment of truth, then. Ian tensed a little. Wyatt didn't know that Harry was '_the' _Harry Potter, they'd not wanted to get into that right away...again. It nearly cost Ian his place in their group and nobody wanted to jeopardize a potential mate by bringing out their hero-worship.

"My parents died," Harry chirped in response, looking terribly confused – as if he didn't remember Wyatt didn't know who he was.

"Oh! I'm- er, I'm sorry, I didn't-" Wyatt spluttered, eyes widening in a rare show of panic.

"It's okay, they're back now," Harry said, and Ian almost giggled at Wyatt's expression. Harry had confused the hell out of the poor kid.

"Harry," Theo stated, exasperated. "Wyatt, Harry is actually Harry Potter."

The boy's face smoothed out. All expression lost. "Oh." Wyatt murmured. "_Oh._"

– – –

Just an hour later, Harry decided it would be fun to re-mark Bill and have the giant – literally giant, he towered over everyone at an amazing six foot seven – join the four of them. The conversation was a tense one (though Harry didn't seem to pick up on this), and Ian made sure to be in-between Wyatt and Bill at all times (_just-in-case, _since he knew it wasn't exactly unheard of for the unmated dominants to fight).

"Will you take me on a tour of the Pyramids, Bill?" Harry asked, brightly. "When the Meeting is over, I mean."

"Yeah, of course," Bill smiled a little bit tightly. "It's amazing to think about all the long-dead curses and such that were used on them."

Harry grinned, looking incredibly pleased, and continued chatting with everyone. Ian was interested to see how things would pan out – and his being in between the two dominants was definitely the perfect seat.

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><p><em>I suck at suspense...obviously...xD<em>

_LAST CHAPTER: urp. I'd give him a tiger just because I like to think about Harry wondering why he's attracting so much attention while walking it... xD_

_NEW QUESTION: What is your ultimate ship? Like, your OTP to end all OTPs? (since we all know that OTP actually means "One (of my many) True Pairings"). _

_NEXT CHAPTER: Homed Hearts_


	16. Homed Hearts

This chapter is dedicated to **ejm12 ****c:**

**Hey y'all! **Happy summer. Or not. My mother got sick a few days ago and it's since spread to myself, my youngest sister and my father. It's miserable! Mostly I just have a headache but my tummy is very not happy with me, too. :c

Also I am very not happy with Fanfiction, and I'm sure you all know why, so I won't rant.

Thanks for boosting me to over 200 reviews, guys!

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><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Sixteen: Homed Hearts**

Around the time the Meeting would begin to disperse, Harry managed to convince both Wyatt and Bill to stay a little bit longer. Neither of them wanted to, as they both thought the other was a sure-win for Harry's attentions. Ian was sure that, if Harry didn't mate with one of them tonight, there would be a bloodbath wherever the unmated dominants were staying. He needn't have worried, though, because just before the Officials called for all unmated dominants to "please follow me, it is time for the Meeting to come to an end", Harry's pupils could be seen slitting, instinct taking over.

Wyatt couldn't see it, because he was currently looking at Theo on his other side, but he sure felt it when Harry's claws dug deep into his thighs.

"Oi!" he called, jumping and nearly knocking Harry over. "What the hell was that?" his eyes darkened further, becoming almost black, and he growled.

"Harry?" Bill asked, wide-eyed. He'd never seen the beginning of a mating fight...or the end of one, actually, but that was beside the point.

Harry hissed when he heard his name and turned to slap Bill across his face with claw-tipped fingers. Ian was hit in the crossfire, having chosen 'the perfect' seat, and now had a bleeding cheek. He was beginning to get a _tad_ confused, because he wasn't sure if Harry was just acting up or if it was possible for _two _matings to happen at once, but he was saved from questioning by a guard shoving them out of the Meeting building and towards their quarters.

Theo and Ian rushed around, quickly trying to get all breakable items out of the way – it wasn't easy, with three raging Sarkany at their backs (several times they seemed to get in the way, because one of the three would hiss and slap them... Ian was currently patching up Theo's shoulder from a particularly vicious claw from Wyatt).

Harry's Sarkany must not have known what it was getting itself into, because Harry was in full-on defense mode instead of even trying to fight back anymore. It was almost amusing.

Wyatt grabbed him round the waist and was rewarded with Harry's wings bursting out of the boy's back, clipping him in the jaw and making him lose balance. Harry was free again, but only for moments, as Bill saw an opportunity and took it. He didn't aim to hurt Harry. No, instead he aimed to _pleasure _the boy, hand snaking out and tracing down the scales inside his wing.

Harry melted.

Wyatt shot up from the floor and tackled him down, repeating what Bill had done, fingers trailing from the top of Harry's wing to the bottom, the boy's moan seemingly never-ending as he cried and fought and tried not to become a pile of goo again.

His resistance didn't last long, but if _you _had two gorgeous boys hanging off of your wings, you wouldn't have lasted long, either.

As luck would have it, Harry went into heat the following morning.

– – –

Lily hesitantly knocked on the door to her son's quarters. They'd been warned away the third night by a guard telling them that he was mating, and then they'd come back the next morning and _James _pulled her away, saying that Harry was in heat and it wouldn't do to interrupt them – not that you _could,_ because their minds were completely focused on impregnating their mate. The heat is also the most vulnerable time in a Sarkany's life, they could have their arm chopped off and not notice until the heat ended. Many Sarkany died during their heat.

There was movement from inside, and then a sleep-ruffled boy of about nineteen or twenty popped the door open, swaying on his feet.

"Mmmm?" he asked, trying to pull on a shirt. In his sleep-hazed mind, he ended up with his head through the arm hole and irritably ripped the shirt back off, tossing it on the floor.

"Who are you?" James questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Wyatt," a more familiar voice grumbled. "Go back to bed. Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."

Theo had risen from a pile of people on the bed, disentangling himself gracefully. He seemed to have struggled into a pair of pajama bottoms two sizes too big for him and had to hold them up with one hand. "Coulda swore these were mine..." he mumbled. His lower belly had several bruises in the shape of fingers and he winced as he walked. James smirked.

"I'll send for the mediwitch," Lily murmured, excusing herself quietly. Theo let James in silently, turning on a lamp in order to see better.

"Ouch," James said, motioning Theo's neck and shoulder. They were torn up from fingernails, it looked like.

"Yeahhh..." Theo mumbled, searching around in several bags. "Give me a second, I have to find some clothes for Harry."

"He's awake?" James asked, hopefully.

"No," Theo chuckled breezily, nodding to the middle of the bed, where Harry was curled up, naked. "He just really hates waking up naked."

James did a quick headcount. There were three people on the bed – and Theo right in front of him, and the sleepy nineteen year old nowhere to be found.

"Uhmm...are you multiplying?" he questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"No," Theo repeated. "Harry just decided to go against tradition and mate twice in one night."

James' eyes widened a little, and then he laughed. "Only my boy."

The nineteen year old slipped out from the bathroom looking decidedly less sleep-ruffled and sleepy, dressed neatly in light colors. He held out his hand to James, and James noticed it was incredibly bruised in a crescent shape. He shook it, raising his eyebrows.

"Wyatt Anderson," the boy yawned. "_Someone _likes to bite," he added when James motioned his hand, glaring at Theo.

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not," Theo smirked, slipping over to the bed and gently dressing Harry.

"James Potter," James introduced himself. "Don't worry, my wife went to get a mediwitch."

"I can heal myself," Wyatt said, face impassive. "I'm a Healer. I just...can't find my wand..."

"Too late for that," Theo said, hearing the knocks on the door. "Let them in and be quiet about it. If Harry wakes up before he's healed, he'll be in a lot of pain."

"Oi, you lot are noisy," mumbled a voice from the bed, and then; "Where's my pants?"

"Theo's got them," Wyatt responded, looking with scrutinizing eyes at the mediwitch. "The little one first."

"Theodore, give me my pants back," the voice grumbled, and a redhead sat up on the bed. He growled at the mediwitch, who rolled her eyes and went to work healing Harry.

"I can't find mine," whined Theo.

"They're in the bathroom," Ian, rolling off the bed and landing (amazingly) on his feet, muttered. "I chucked all of our bags in there on the eighth."

Ian didn't seem to have any problem walking around nude, but put some pants on when Theo muttered that James and Lily were there. The mediwitch went around healing them all, smiling in amusement at the incredible amount of injuries.

"Reckless boys, I bet," she chuckled.

"No, Harry's just vicious," Theo responded cockily, stretching and looking for some food in their kitchenette.

Soon, the rooms were bustling with activity, only Harry still curled up, asleep. The mediwitch ran some diagnostics and then murmured something in Ian's ear, and Ian passed it to Theo, and soon all of them were looking shocked and surprised.

"Well?" Lily asked, eyebrows raising.

"Well what?" Ian muttered. "God you people and your chipper morning ways. I need coffee. No, I don't want tea, Theodore," he added, wrinkling his nose at the transparent liquid. "Barely enough caffeine in there to keep a baby awake, let alone me!"

"Well, what did the mediwitch say?" Lily clarified, snorting.

"We're not saying until Harry wakes," Theo replied quickly, cocking an eyebrow at Bill – who had his lips parted as if to speak. The man raised his hands defensively, 'oi, sorry!' piping out of his mouth.

Harry stirred on the bed before anybody had any time to react. Ian went to him, a noise bubbling up in his chest that James recognized as a Sarkany sound that let submissives know they were safe. Harry's tense body relaxed a little and he blinked in the darkness, then looked down at himself. Seeing the thin white pants and t-shirt he was wearing, he wiggled his toes and stared in fascination. "I'm not naked."

James almost laughed. Almost.

"Theo dressed you this morning," Wyatt's previously emotionless face gave way to a tiny smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Harry responded. "And hungry."

James decided it was time to make himself known, but before he could, Ian sprung on Harry excitedly and loudly.

"The mediwitch was just here, Harry, and she did a scan. Guess what?"

"What?" Harry wondered tiredly, holding his arms up for Wyatt, who scooped him up into his arms and then sat down on the bed with Harry in his lap.

"You're pregnant."

It took a second for the words to sink in, and then Harry was standing on the bed, wobbling precariously, with the brightest, happiest face James had ever seen.

"Really?" Harry shouted.

"Really," Ian responded, encasing Harry in a gentle hug. "Congratulations." Harry began shouting happily, so excited it almost hurt.

Harry bounced on his toes and Ian steadied him, pulling him down off the bed. "You have to be more careful now," Theo scolded from near the counter. "Sarkany pregnancies aren't as stable as Veela pregnancies."

Harry obediently crawled back onto the bed and curled against Wyatt, promising that he would be more careful. When he nuzzled into Wyatt, he glanced up and noticed James and Lily.

"My baby is going to have a baby," James teased. "Congratulations, love," he added quickly.

Lily smiled and nodded. "Congratulations. It's kind of weird to think about my sixteen year old son being pregnant." There was a surprised look on her face – whether the fact that it was her son who was pregnant, _that _he was pregnant, or that he was sixteen, James didn't know. She was a bit shell-shocked, though, and James was certain she was not really paying attention to her surroundings anymore.

He himself was shocked, too, but he'd grown up in a primarily Sarkany-dominated household. All of his family were Creatures, mostly Sarkany but a few Fey thrown in. It wasn't unheard of for two different Creatures to mate, but it was certainly rather rare. So the fact that he was sixteen didn't even phase James – he'd grown up thinking _he'd _have a baby at sixteen, after all. His eyes darkened a little.

Theo settled everyone down in various seats in the room with some hot breakfast, and Bill Weasley introduced himself with a sheepish little grin.

"We can head back today," James stated, rolling his shoulders. "Get you guys settled back into your rooms at Hogwarts."

"I promised Harry I'd show him the Pyramids," Bill sighed.

"No," Ian and Theo responded at the same time, causing Wyatt to look up from where he had his face buried in Harry's shoulder.

"Too dangerous," Wyatt agreed. "You said it yourself, there's tons of curses on those things."

"But–" Harry protested.

"They're right, of course," Bill stretched languidly, yawning. "It's not safe for pregnant people down there. If not because of the curses but because some of the chambers smell of gases – and that's not good for the baby," he grinned a little bit.

"So we should go back," Ian decided. "Bill, what will you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm a Hit Wizard. We work on commission. Wyatt works in Scotland, not far from Hogwarts. But you work all the way in Egypt..." Ian said slowly. "What will you do about work?"

Bill laughed. "My mother requested that I find work closer to home, so I got myself transferred to Gringotts, warding the vaults," he admitted.

"Are your quarters _big _enough for all five of you?" James questioned, eyebrows raising.

"Quite," Ian muttered dryly, placing his dish in the sink. "I'll start packing us up."

It was a bustle of activity after that: the five boys, though they'd all just been thrown together, interacted well together. Everyone seemed to want to do everything for Harry, but Wyatt could see that it irritated the boy and allowed him to do some things. Theo was sort of the leader, but Ian brought him back down to earth with silent looks and little expressions. Bill just seemed amazed he was there at all, as if he'd never expected that he'd have a mate.

Lily and James went back to their hotel (only the dominants and submissives who were at the Meeting to find a mate were given guest quarters) to pack up their few things, and then they were back with an International Port-Key.

"I'm hot," Harry whined when they stepped in the door. The boys had all dressed in winter clothing, and Harry looked like a marshmallow.

"You won't be in two minutes when we arrive back in Scotland," Theo responded, rolling his eyes. "Everything packed? Alright, let's go."

After being in the hot, dry air of Egypt for so long – eight days – dropping into the snowy region of Scotland was nearly too cold to be allowed. They stumbled along through the snow, which seemed to be dropping in buckets from the sky, heading toward Hogwarts. They'd dropped right outside of the gates, so it wasn't far until they were in the castle.

"Mmmmmcold," whined Harry.

"I told you," Theo laughed.

"Wow, it's not changed a bit since I was here," Bill murmured in awe, glancing around with obvious nostalgia. "Where are we staying?"

Wyatt was curious about every little thing on the way up to the seventh floor, though his face didn't show it. Two things he did do was poke and prod the statues (which he was surprised to find poked and prodded back), and curse loudly at Peeves. "This is so much better than Beauxbatons."

"I heard it's pretty there," Harry commented.

"It's _pretty_, but there's nothing like this stuff. Everything's prim and proper," Wyatt muttered, eying everything. At that exact moment, the staircase decided to move.

"Oh, I suppose it's Thursday," Harry decided. "This one only moves on Thursdays. Don't worry, I know a shortcut!"

So the boys and Lily and James followed Harry through hidden portrait-holes, curving, rickety staircases, trick doors, and so on until they ended up in front of the portrait that hid the Creatures' hallway from the rest of the seventh floor.

"That...was...not...a shortcut," Wyatt accused.

"I thought you'd be interested," Harry shrugged, pushing open the portrait hole with a offhanded, "_Creature blood."_

In the hallway, Seamus and Lexi were sat doing their homework, laughing. When they came in, Seamus wobbled into a standing position and Lexi followed happily.

"Harry!" they called.

"Hi, Shay," Harry grinned. "Lexi."

The duo was sizing up the new additions, and finally Lexi questioned,

"Soo...going to introduce us?"

Harry laughed. "Wyatt, Bill, these are my friends Seamus Finnigan and Alexis Marie Bouchard. Shay and Lexi, this is Wyatt Anderson and Bill Weasley."

Seamus' eyes got really big, and he whispered loudly, "Have you told Ron yet?"

"Haven't seen him, just got back," Harry responded. "Besides, he won't be upset – he was preaching on about how I should meet Bill, so that I could 'really be a part of the family' and then he was surprised when he realized we couldn't just pick our mates."

"If only it was that easy," Seamus sighed wistfully. "Well, anyways, nice meeting you two! Harry, you should come over later, I've got something to show you!"

Harry smiled, murmuring the password to his quarters to the dragon portrait. "Welcome to your new quarters, guys!"

Wyatt found himself exploring his new home – 'for the moment', he reminded himself. They wouldn't be able to stay here this summer and next year Harry and Theo would graduate, meaning they'd not need to stay here anymore. Ian mentioned something about the Potters asking Harry to move in with them in January, but Harry was apparently...very cautious around them. He didn't know why and nobody had told him, all he knew was that the Potters had come back from the dead and while Harrry took Sirius Black back with gusto, he mostly avoided the Potters for the first months or two and still walked on eggshells with them.

He didn't think it'd be so bad to live in Potter Manor. He'd heard it was _huge_ – they would probably be left alone for the most part. Bill didn't think it would be bad, either, but then, he'd grown up in a house with eight other people in it and barely any room to breath.

It kind of _got _Wyatt, how he'd started off without a mate and now had four mates _and _a baby on the way. A _baby_. It had surprised him, of course, but he found himself a bit _eager _for the little guy – or girl – to be born so he could see him – or her. Though the baby might not be his. It might be Bill's, or Ian's, or Theo's. But it was an exciting prospect either way, because it was his submissive's baby, too.

The study had five desks in it, two were empty. The one straight across from the door had "Sebastian Lowell; HW" on a nameplate facing the door, and the one next to the window was obviously Harry's – it was messy, messy, messy. Theo's had an open Potions book and a piece of parchment half covered in writing, and both his and Harry's faced the other side of the room. The other two, the empty ones, were on the other half of the room, facing Theo's and Harry's – that made two desks on one side, two desks on the other, and Ian's right in the middle.

He claimed the desk that fit cozily into the corner, dumping some medical books onto it and promising to come back later and tidy it up.

Wyatt had already stored his clothes in the closet – which seemed to be much bigger than a normal closet, if it could fit all of the clothes of five different people and put away most of his things, so he deemed himself done for now. Harry was stretched out, asleep, on one of the couches in the living room, his head on Bill's lap. Bill was reading a book in a runic language Wyatt didn't recognize. Ian and Theo took up most of the other couch, just enough room for a Wyatt-sized person to slide in next to them.

"Do any of you have an owl I can borrow?" he wondered quietly.

"Take Penguin," Ian responded, nodding up at the windowsill where a nearly all-black owl sat, cocking his head as if listening.

"Right," Wyatt nearly laughed, muttering 'penguin' under his breath. Who were these crazy people he was now destined to live with forever?

Back at his desk, he spread out a sheet of paper and began writing.

_Dear Wynter,_

_I've some somewhat exciting news to tell you. Bollocks, no, it's very exciting news. At the Egypt Meeting I met my mate...and his three other dominants. They're all rather nice and seem to be making an effort, but it was iffy there in the beginning. _

_We found out this morning that we're expecting a baby, so we'll see how that goes and I'll keep you updated. I'd love for you to meet my – our – submissive. I think it would be good for him to interact with older submissives, especially ones with children. Maybe we could meet at the Three Cauldrons?_

_I miss you and the boys terribly. Tell the family hello._

_Wyatt_

Penguin seemed only too happy to take the letter for him, cooing in his throat and rubbing his beak against Wyatt's fingers.

"He likes you," murmured Ian from the couch. "Who are you writing? If you don't mind my asking."

Theo was asleep now, too, slumped over with his feet in Ian's lap. Every once in a while, Ian would pat the bottom of Theo's feet or his shin, or rub them, as if to make sure the boy was still there.

"My sister," Wyatt sighed. "I thought she'd like to know that I found my mate."

"Our," Bill's voice yawned, and Wyatt looked to see him sending off a regal-looking Eagle Owl with a letter. "Letter to my family. They love Harry, practically adopted him."

Wyatt felt a bit left out. Theo had known Harry because of school and Ian had gotten to know the boy, and Bill knew him through his family, but Wyatt barely knew Harry at all. He sat down at one end of Ian and Theo's couch, sighing again, and nodded.

They all just stretched out and relaxed for a while. Wyatt felt Ian's arm sling around his shoulders and smiled a little – the effort these other dominants were making _was_ incredible. It made him feel special, not like he was just there because Harry wanted a child. Some submissives took one mate and hardly cared about their other mates, so long as they got children out of the deal.

Bill was lazily rubbing Harry's belly and Harry and Theo were both still asleep, which was probably good because Theo had school in the morning. Apparently Harry did his work independently, though.

If he didn't now, he'd need to soon – Potions fumes and a lot of charms and hexes were bad for the baby, and Harry wouldn't be allowed to participate in those lessons within a couple of months. Wyatt felt a small thrill go through him at the thought of the baby again.

"What do you think it's going to be?" Ian asked, voicing Wyatt's thoughts aloud. "The baby, I mean."

"I think it'll be a girl," Theo responded. "Harry wants a girl."

"Really?" Bill asked, surprised. "I think it'll be a boy. Especially if I'm the other father."

Ian snorted, but Wyatt didn't get it until Bill told him, "I've got six little brothers and one little sister. She's the first girl that was born into the Weasley family in generations."

"Your little sister's got the biggest crush on Harry," Ian informed Bill. "It's kind of funny."

"I know," Bill groaned. "She's going to murder me for stealing him away from her."

"Harry just likes boys, anyways," Ian shrugged. "She must have noticed that much."

The room went silent again, and Harry mumbled something in his sleep.

"Hey, listen," Ian murmured, near inaudibly. "Sometimes Harry says some pretty cute stuff."

Sure enough, only seconds later, Harry grumbled: "My lovey..."

Wyatt's lips quirked in a smiled as he watched Ian manipulate the sleeping boy into saying other things.

"Harry, little love," Ian cooed. "I lovvvvvve you," he murmured.

"Mmmmm, Ian," Harry responded quietly, turning toward Ian's voice. "My Ian."

Ian grinned, showing a flash of his canine. "No, _my _Ian," he said.

"No!" Harry snapped sleepily, and for a moment Wyatt thought that the boy had woken up. But no, he was still sleep-talking with Ian.

"Be nice to him," Theo grumbled, eyes peeping open. "You're terrible, Sebastian."

"Oooh, full names, huh, Theodore?" Ian's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Wanker," Theo groused, stretching.

"Nah, I'd much rather have _you_ do that for me," Ian teased. Theo's face went bright red and he kicked the bigger dominant in the ribs, and then freaked out when Ian began wheezing.

"Shit, shit, I'm sorry, Ian, I forgot!" he cried.

Ian coughed and spluttered for a moment longer before regaining his breath, glaring at Theo. "If you kill me, Harry will be angry."

"I didn't mean to..." Theo mumbled, crawling toward him. "I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?" Bill asked, a bit curiously.

Theo looked up. "Don't you read the Prophet?"

"That load of rubbish?" scowled Wyatt.

"Well, in January, Hogsmeade was attacked and we were there," Theo whispered. "There was over one hundred Death Eaters. Ian got hurt really bad – he nearly died before I could get him to a Healer – and all of Harry's fingers were broken. It was in the paper," Theo added. "I'll find you a clipping if you want to read it."

"Oh, I think my mum said something about that," Bill rolled his shoulders. "Fifty six dead Death Eaters, right?"

"Yeah," Theo nodded. "That was us. Well, not just the three of us – but all of the Creatures in Hogwarts."

Wyatt whistled lowly, stretching. "That's awesome. I mean, not awesome, but... you know what I mean. You-Know-Who's followers being fought and killed by one of the things he hates most in the world."

"Fear of a name only increases the fear of the thing itself," mumbled Harry's sleepy voice. "Call him Voldemort or the Dark Lord. Don't call him You-Know-Who and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Bill blinked, and then snorted. "I thought Ron was lying."

"About...?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes.

"You, of all people, inspiring people to call him 'Voldemort'."

Harry looked up at Bill with wide eyes, and then beamed. "You called him by his name!"

"I'm in the Order, Harry, we all call him by his name," Bill chuckled.

Theo, Ian, and Wyatt exchanged looks. "What's the Order?" Ian wondered.

It was Bill and Harry's turn to exchange looks. After a moment, Harry said, "The Order of the Phoenix, an organization created by Dumbledore in 1977 to bring down Voldemort. It's since been disbanded and regrouped last year and you actually know quite a lot of people who are in it."

"You're only allowed in if you're an adult," Bill added.

"How does _he _know, then?" Ian wondered, tilting his head toward Harry. Bill bit his lip and mouthed, 'sorry'.

"Harry's the only one with the power to kill Voldemort for good," Bill stated. "And he'll have to do so someday."

* * *

><p><em>So a lot happened in this chapter, I'd say! I think the baby-reaction-thinger was a little underdone, but there wasn't much I could do with that, as I wanted them to know when the mediwitch knew but I also wanted the scene with James and Lily in the guest quarters, too, so it was a bit over crowded and yeah. P:<em>

_URP. I dunno what last chapter's question was.. o-o'_

_So the kill-Voldie plot has officially begun. You'll understand in a few chapters, it'll all be very clear. xD'' I'm...this is the most devious, twisted plot I've ever come up with and it's all rather exciting for me, actually! _

_Now I just have to figure out HOW to kill Voldie and all will be well and we can have a few fluffy chapters before the end. _

_Anywhos._

_NEW QUESTION: What with all of the mates being here now, what kind of bonding scenes do you want? (No sex, not only because I don't write that but because FF is taking down all stories with sex in them..=.= including, by the way, Rise of the Drackens, which I was particularly steamed about. ) When the baby gets here, what kind of bonding do you want to see?_

_Again, I'll dedicate the chapter with your suggestion in it TO you, so anons, if you're suggesting something, make sure you have a name! C:_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Baby Blame_

~Kymmie_  
><em>


	17. Baby Blame

**c: I totes just spent the last few days dream-casting the next generation (urp, MY next generation) xD'' I love dreamcasting because everyone knows Hollywood makes everyone pretty so you can get away with uber cute children. P: Do you know how hard it is to find redheaded child-actors who don't have curly hair? EXTREMELY HARD. I'm sitting here like: "ONLY PERCY HAS CURLY HAIR I NEED CHILDREN WITH STRAIGHT HAIR" xD**

**On to the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Seventeen: Baby Blame**

Silence settled thick amongst the five boys – men? – surrounding the coffee table, staring at a sheaf of paper quietly. On it, in a curly, feminine handwriting, read:

_The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

"Why didn't you _tell _me?" Ian asked, looking murderous.

Harry's fingers clenched in the fabric of the couch, chewing his lip as he shrugged. "It never came up?"

"You're going to get yourself murdered," Wyatt decided. "There's no way you're strong enough to kill He- ...V-Voldemort."

Tears pricked Harry's eyes and he shrugged again. "I know."

"What?" Theo murmured gently.

"Don't you think I _know_?" Harry snarled, jumping up and away from them all. It was all too much for him to handle. "Don't you think that I, _I _who lost my _parents _to this murderer fifteen _years _ago, who only by dumb luck came back, _don't you think I know?_"

"Harry, I–" Wyatt started, reaching out to grab Harry's wrist. Harry gave a cry and jerked away, shaking his head.

"Don't touch me," he whispered, and gods, if looks could kill, Wyatt would be six feet under. "Don't – just don't."

Harry turned away from them, slamming the portrait open and disappearing through it.

There were many things he was certain about in his life. One, he'd been abused during his childhood. Two, his parents had been dead. Three, he was the Boy-Who-Lived and the only one who could destroy Voldemort. Four, he was going to die...and soon.

Because hell if this baby was going to come into the world while Voldemort still had free reign. He'd rather the child die than have to go through what _he'd _gone through – waiting, watching as people he loved died, not being able to do anything about it. It was the worst feeling in the world, and this baby would never feel that sense of insecurity, not if Harry could help it.

Before, Harry had been resolved to kill Voldemort in revenge for his own fallen makeshift family. But now, _now _the resolve was stronger, because it wasn't just his makeshift family at stake anymore. It was his mates, his baby.

The gargoyles outside Dumbledore's office had never been as irritating as they were now, but luckily for them, Harry got the password on the third try – Gummy Dwarfs – and they jumped aside. He didn't wait for the staircase to take him up, he flew up them – almost literally. He pounded on Dumbledore's door, once, twice, three times, and was allowed entrance.

He didn't give the old man a chance to speak.

"Tell me how to kill Voldemort."

It was not _'will you tell me how to kill Voldemort?' ,_it was not a question. It was a demand. But as old men often do, Dumbledore pretended to ignore him and instead offered him a lemon drop.

_Bloody well no, I don't want a lemon drop,_ Harry thought. "Tell me how to kill Voldemort, _please._"

Dumbledore looked up under his glasses and sighed in that world-weary way of his, steepling his fingers. "Harry, my boy, what brought this on?"

Harry's Sarkany was getting angry. He wasn't even sure what was making them both so mad: being called weak? The possibility that his baby would have to be born into a world where Voldemort still thrived? The old man not telling him what he needed to do? Either way, it was potentially fatal for the Sarkany to get angry, so he reigned in his control as tightly as he could and swallowed thickly.

"I'm going to have a baby," he said, so slowly it almost hurt. "And that baby is not going to come into this world while that monster is still alive."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once and then went darkly serious. "Congratulations, Mr. Potter. I... must say that I am somewhat surprised by this turn of events, and I do agree with you. Come along."

He locked the door and then slid across the room fluidly, opening the cabinet that Harry knew held the old man's Pensieve.

There were vials on the shelf above the basin, each labeled in meticulous handwriting and each facing front-and-center. Harry's eyes made out _TMR-V 1 _on the vial that Dumbledore's long, wrinkled fingers plucked from the shelf.

"We'll view this one, I think," he said softly, tipping the memory into the Pensieve. "There you go, you first, now."

Harry lowered his hand to touch the swirling blue water and felt a sucking sensation – and then he was dropping straight into the middle of a memory.

Dumbledore followed him in and then steered him around, nodding across the room. Harry recognized this room as the Potions room in Hogwarts, but the middle-aged man standing in the room was not anybody he'd ever seen. He was pudgy, a round belly reminiscent of a pregnant person's sitting on his hips, and he was facing a man – no, boy.

The boy was his age, no older than sixteen, and eerily similar to Harry. The dark hair (though this boy's was combed and styled), the light pink lips, the pale skin, the upturned nose. The eyes, though – the eyes were different. They were almost crimson red and had a glint of _something _that had Harry stepping backwards slightly.

He recognized this boy.

Tom Riddle.

"Professor?" Harry asked at the same time Riddle did. Harry's voice was quiet, wondering – Tom's was louder, more confident, he knew he'd get the answer he wanted.

"Professor Slughorn," Riddle called again. The pudgy man glanced up.

"Tom! Ah, Tom, to what do I owe this pleasure?" the man named Slughorn asked. Riddle's head dropped slightly to the side, his eyes sparkling with that..._something,_ lips quirking. Harry was startled to find that Riddle was trying to _charm _his way into getting what he wanted.

"I have a ...question," Riddle responded, voice dripping with the charm he was exuding.

"Well, go ahead and ask, then," Slughorn prompted.

Tom's eyes closed halfway, making him look more innocent than Harry thought the boy could ever be. "I read about a ...certain magic...and I was confused as to how it _worked,_ Professor, you see, I was reading about _Horcruxes._"

The very mention of the word sent shivers down Harry's spine. The memory seemed to be covered in static for a moment before Dumbledore murmured, "I had to extract the real memory from what Horace Slughorn tried to edit... it is very bad quality, but that was the best I could do, I'm afraid."

The voices came in disjointed echoes now, and the images were hardly there at all. "What on earth were you doing reading about _Horcruxes, _of all things, Tom?"

"I was...particularly interested in what happened to people who used such dark magic," Tom whispered, his voice sounding very far away and at once, right in Harry's ears. It was so disconcerting that Harry twirled around, trying to see where he was.

"They became mutated," Horace's voice joined in the far-away-and-right-in-your-ears tone, echoing through the room. "Horribly mutated... and the more Horcruxes one had, the more mutated one became..."

The memory went black and Harry was back in his body, staring at Dumbledore and gaping like a fish. Dumbledore led Harry back to the desk after closing up the cabinet, telling him to sit down.

"But sir...I'm confused," Harry murmured.

"Harry, my boy... the answer to how you kill Voldemort is as simple as this: Horcruxes."

"But what exactly _are _Horcruxes?" Harry whispered.

Dumbledore's eyes took on the look of those that had seen far too many years. "They are the reason why Voldemort did not die fifteen years ago when his curse backfired into him. When you create a Horcrux... you split your soul in half. You become half a person, and the object you place the other half of your soul into – it becomes your other half. While the Horcrux is in existence, you cannot die."

Harry looked disgusted. "But that's – that's terrible. Who would want that?"

"Voldemort's one wish was to become immortal, and he found a way to do it. Horcruxes are extremely hard to destroy... there are two known things that _do _destroy them. Fiendfyre...and Basilisk Venom."

Harry's eyes narrowed and then widened in surprise. "The diary," he said, his breath wooshing out in a hiss.

"Yes, my boy. The diary is exactly what led me to the decision that this was not merely a man with power, but a man with Horcruxes. I found a second one this summer – a ring, which I destroyed with Fiendfyre. But if my assumptions are right...there will be five more, five items important to Voldemort. In order to kill him...you must destroy them all," Dumbledore murmured gently. "Tom Riddle's diary and the Marvolo family ring... I suspect that he'll have placed one in something of Slytherin's, because he is to this day Slytherin's last heir."

Harry wiped his bangs out of his eyes. "You haven't any idea where they might be?"

"Not a single idea," Dumbledore agreed. "Perhaps...we could draw conjectures. What might you think Tom Riddle would hide his soul in?"

"Nagini," Harry said at once. "She's always with him, everywhere he goes. She's not his companion...she's his possession. A half of his soul."

Dumbledore thought on this. "Very good, Harry. I do believe you're right. Do you have any other clues?"

Harry thought onto all he knew of Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle. The boy had been an orphan, and Hogwarts was his first home...just like Harry... a sentimental Riddle might have taken objects dear to Hogwarts and put Horcruxes in them... Harry shook his head, and just murmured, "Hogwarts."

"I understand," Dumbledore patted his hand. "Why don't you trot off to dinner, my boy?"

So Harry found himself slipping out of the room, mind whirring with this new onslaught of information, trying to think of anything and everything Tom Riddle may have made into Horcruxes. Of course, it may have been easier if he knew _how _Riddle had made the Horcruxes – if he'd had to use a spell, or create a potion, or chop off a finger and draw runes on it, or something. It would have narrowed down the search at least a little bit.

Hermione would know, his mind told him. Hermione would know and Hermione and Ron could help him figure it out – they always did – they were _the _dream team, inseparable, except somehow they _had _become separated...

His feet led him to the Gryffindor table, half-empty because dinner had just began two or three minutes ago. Gryffindors were not known for being on time...well, except Hermione, and there she was, cooing at him and laughing and chatting.

_I miss this,_ he thought to himself. _I miss...predictability. _

"Yeah," he responded to her, "It was really pretty in Egypt. I didn't get to see the Pyramids, though."

"Shame, really," Hermione laughed. "They're wonderful, I hear. Did you see Ron's brother, Bill?"

"Yeah, about that," Harry looked around, almost paranoid. "I mated with him," he whispered after drawing Hermione closer. She let out a shriek that just about popped his eardrum, pulling back and looking both horrified and amused and even a little bit congratulatory.

"What? What's wrong?" Harry demanded.

"Ron's brother!" Hermione hissed, and then began laughing her head off. "I c-can't believe...you and... but, oh, that makes you two family, I'm almost jealous!"

"I also... oh, but that can wait until later. I need you and Ron to meet me in the Room of Requirements on Sunday night...alone, okay?" Harry murmured. "I'll loan you the Map. Unless you want the Cloak?"

"The Map will be fine," Hermione nodded, sensing this was serious. Harry slipped the Map – which was always in his robe pocket – into her lap under the table, nodding at her. "Anything else you need to tell me?" she questioned teasingly.

"Oh, yes, I almost forgot – I'm pregnant," Harry said, nonchalantly, and went about eating his dinner. She clucked her tongue, eating hers, too, until what he'd said sank in.

She shrieked again.

Harry laughed as she punched him, congratulating him and crying and bouncing up and down excitedly. That's how Ron and Seamus found them a few minutes later.

"What is she on?" Ron questioned.

"Excitement," Harry responded. "She just found out I'm pregnant."

"Oh, I see," Ron nodded, and then his eyes bulged out. "What! You're pregnant? Oh Merlin! This is – but how – I don't –"

"Well, Ron," Seamus said with a mock serious face, "When two men love each other – or in this case, five – they-"

"Shut up, you wanker, I know _how _it happens, but..._how?_" Ron wailed, hands on Harry's shoulders. "What? Five? Ho-"

Harry laughed wildly. "Sit down before you hurt yourself, Ron, and I'll explain everything."

Ron did as he was told and Hermione patted his hand gently. "So you found your two mates," Ron stated. "Who are they, then?"

"Wyatt Anderson and Bill Weasley," Harry said cheekily, and Ron just about passed out. It was too easy to heckle Ron sometimes. Hermione scolded him lightly, and when Ron stopped looking queasy, he muttered something none of them could catch. Harry asked him to speak up.

"Said welcome to the family, mate." Ron looked around curiously. "So...where is my brother, then, anyways?"

"Oh, I ran away from them earlier when I got upset, nothing much. They should come to find me soon," Harry chirped, not feeling his friends' eyes on him as he cut up a rather succulent-looking steak into cubes and began eating it. "What?" he asked when he saw them staring.

"You've rarely eaten meat since you came into your Inheritance," Hermione said, frowning.

"Oh, it's nothing," Seamus said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Submissive Sarkany prefer fruits and vegetables, mostly, but pregnant Sarkany get a taste for meat."

Ron seemed to realize something, and he grinned. "So you're possibly carrying my niece or nephew?" he questioned.

Harry shrugged. "Of course I'm carrying your niece or nephew. Bill will call the baby his whether it is or isn't, and even if he _wasn't _my mate and a father to the baby, you two are my best mates. Of course you're auntie and uncle."

"What do you mean about Bill calling it his baby?" Hermione wondered. She hadn't been able to get her hands on any books about Sarkany yet, but hopefully she'd be able to soon.

"Well," Harry drew out the word. "It's kind of...odd to explain. Since all four of the boys are my dominants, all four of them will be the 'father' of the baby – even if only one is biologically the father. So, if I end up giving birth to a Weasley, Ian will still be called Daddy, or if I give birth to a Lowell, Bill will still be called Daddy," he explained lightly. "It's because Sarkany are very big on family, and it would be hard to raise a family if we weren't all united. All double-mated Sarkany do this with their chick, but of course, the chick will know who its biological father is."

"Well said," Seamus murmured, giving him a thumbs-up. "Just like if my baby ends up being Finley's, it would still call Carter 'dad' or whatever."

"Uh-oh," Finley murmured in his surprisingly deep voice, nodding toward the door. Harry cringed and almost didn't want to turn and look, but that was okay, because they were on him before he could turn.

He put up with them snuffling around his neck and back and then his belly, but shoved Ian's face away when he tried to dip lower.

"Where _were _you?" demanded Theo.

"Taking measures to protect the baby," Harry said happily, and it was true. The meeting had been about killing Voldemort, and killing Voldemort would be protecting the baby. "And you can't be mad at me because you lot practically drove me away, anyhow."

Wyatt cupped the back of Harry's head, and Harry glanced up at him with curiosity in his eyes. "I'm sorry," the slightly older boy mumbled, and kissed his temple.

"Aww," Hermione cooed. "Come along, Harry, share your boys with us – introduce us properly."

Harry poked his tongue out and curled his arms around Wyatt's neck. "Nope, mine," he crooned, tugging the man down next to him. Bill went around the other side of the table and squeezed between Ron and Hermione.

"Grown up a lot since the last time I saw you, eh, Hermione?" Bill teased, ruffling her hair.

"If by 'grown up' you mean 'not fourteen anymore', then I do agree," Hermione huffed, fixing her hair. "Just as irritating as last time."

"Can't believe, you and my best mate.." Ron grumbled, glaring at Bill.

"Ah, but now your best mate is family!" Bill cheered, slinging an arm around Ron's shoulder. "And you're...Seamus, right? And you must be his mates. Bill Weasley," he said, holding his hand out first to Carter and then to Finley. "That bloke's Wyatt, but he's not really that interesting."

"Oi," Wyatt protested. "I am too interesting."

"Oh?" Hermione smirked wickedly.

"Uh...yeah..." Wyatt murmured, face going impassive again. Bill and Ian snickered loudly.

"Don't listen to them," Ron rolled his eyes. "Right prats, the both of them."

"What do you do?" Hermione asked, smiling soothingly at Wyatt. "And Ron's right, they're both prats. Don't worry."

"I'm a Healer," Wyatt responded, nuzzling Harry nervously. He'd never really had a boyfriend or girlfriend because he knew he'd be a Sarkany, and he hadn't wanted to start a relationship and have to end it because of things he couldn't stop. This 'meeting the friends' part was dangerous grounds and he knew it.

"A Healer, a Curse-Breaker and a Hit Wizard," a lazy voice drawled. "Draco Malfoy, at your service," his lips quirked into a little smirk, shaking Bill and Wyatt's hands. "Suppose we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

"We will?" Bill asked, eyes dark.

"We eat lunch at the Slytherin table," Theo informed Bill. "Harry, Ian and I have done that since we mated. It was Ian's compromise so that we could both see our friends without arguing. Breakfast in our quarters, lunch at the Slytherin table, and dinner at the Gryffindor table."

Bill turned his eyes on Harry, surprised, but Harry was already chatting away with Draco. Last he knew, the duo had been enemies – or as close as schoolboys could get to enemies.

"Congrats," Draco said, smiling lightly. "Looks like my kid will have more than one playmate, after all. Want to bet whose baby will be here first?"

"Mine," Shay said immediately, but Draco rolled his eyes.

"I mean between Harry and Lexi. Veela pregnancies last ten months and Lexi's nearly three months along. Sarkany pregnancies last seven months and Harry's only a few days along. Who's going to be born first? Baby Potter or Baby Malfoy?"

Bets were placed all around the table – mostly in favor of "Baby Potter" – and Draco departed to tell his fiancee about the betting pool. Bill watched him leave and then hissed, "What the hell?"

Wyatt arched an eyebrow.

"I think Bill wants to know why Harry and Draco are suddenly friendly," Theo grinned. "They called a truce in December. It's especially good because Harry and Draco's mate, Lexi, are friends."

Bill wrinkled his nose. "Do I have to put up with him?"

"Bill, he's really not that bad," Ron and Harry said at the same time, shocking the man even more.

"Really, it was his dad who was the git," Theo added. "Now that his dad's dead..."

"Lucius Malfoy is dead?" Bill's eyebrows raised.

"Guilty," Ian raised his fingers slightly, "He died in Hogsmeade in January."

"Gods, what else am I missing?" Bill muttered incredulously.

Harry shrugged innocently, laughing to himself.

* * *

><p><em>Soo...c: We're nearing the end of the pre-written chapters, so you might notice a bit of a change in style. Most notably a change in the level of dramaangst in the chapters. I'm a big drama/angst fan. Sorry. xD'' I'm still attempting to edit the chapter that's in James' point of view just because it is WAY too angsty...but it's a necessary chapter. (Unless you don't want to know why he doesn't have a mate)... Also I'm still perfecting the story about why James doesn't have a mate and the one about what happened to Snape's mate. Hopefully we don't get to those (that?) chapter(s) before I've worked out all the drama/angst in those (that?) ...Dx_

_LAST CHAPTER:...uh...I dun remember. _

_NEW QUESTION: Any good Harry Potter fics? Any good Harry Potter fics crossed over with: Supernatural, Sherlock, Doctor Who, or The Avengers? Rating doesn't matter. I just went through and cleaned out my alerts so now I've got barely ANY fic updates coming in...x-x_

_NEXT CHAPTER: Protection Problems_


	18. Protection Problems

**Hey guys... o-o I knew I was forgetting to do SOMETHING! So sorry for the late update. :c I'm a terrible author, keepin' you waiting for so long. :C **

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Eighteen: Protection Problems**

Eight o'clock found the five boys staring at the bed with dubious looks. Bill, his arms crossed, raised his eyebrows.  
>"This is definitely not going to work."<p>

Harry glanced from Bill's face to the bed, which was admittedly far too small. It would fit Theo, Ian, and himself just fine – and possibly Wyatt, if they squished together. But Bill was big, six-foot-seven at least, and his shoulders broad. It was _not _going to fit him, not at all.

"Come'ere, kid," Ian murmured to Harry. "You're in my way."

Harry trotted towards the man immediately, looking behind him curiously. Ian raised his wand at the bed, murmured a quiet, "_Engorgio._" The bed swelled, and obviously it had swelled past what Ian thought it would because it knocked Wyatt off of his feet.

There was silence, and then Ian began cackling crazily, as if that was the funniest thing that had ever happened. Harry slipped out of his arms and plopped down next to the incredulous boy, whose almost-black hair flopped into his eyes. "You okay?" he murmured.

"I'm not hurt, if that's what you're asking," Wyatt responded, turning and pressing a kiss to the corner of Harry's mouth.

"Come on, you two," Bill called from the bed. "It's lights out. We've all got stuff to do tomorrow."

Harry wrinkled his nose and looked at Wyatt, mouthing, 'eight o'clock?' Wyatt laughed silently and shrugged, standing and pulling Harry with him.

"I don't have anything to do tomorrow," Ian muttered, pulling Harry onto the bed. Wyatt followed, pressing up against Harry's back and nuzzling his face into Harry's neck. Theo protested loudly.

"_I _get the spot behind Harry!"

"Looks like you didn't get here fast enough," Wyatt responded darkly. "So it's my spot now."

"But.." Theo gave in and laid down with his back to Wyatt's. That left Bill on the other side of Ian, arm slung over the man's hip.

"We can always find something for you to do," Bill offered suggestively, not seeing Ian's eye-roll. "Either way, Theo has class, Wyatt and I have work, and Harry has to study. So..."

"I get it," Ian muttered, wriggling his arm under Harry and Wyatt's pillows. The other arm was flung over them, curling over Theo's hip. "Don't be a baby, Theo, I'm sure you'll get to sleep next to Harry sometimes."

There was no answer and Wyatt laughed wheezily, "Theo's already asleep."

"Good, be quiet," Bill mumbled, settling down under the duvet. Harry wiggled into a more comfortable position, sighed, and closed his eyes, thinking, _this is going to be a long night._ Surprisingly, as soon as his body went still, the boy succumbed to sleep easily.

– – –

_It's much too early,_ was the first thing Harry's groggy mind realized when he woke up. Following shortly afterward was, _it's much too chilly._

The duvet was bunched up around his form, which was in the center of the bed, but there were no other heat-generating bodies in the bed _with _him. An unnatural surge of panic went through him until his ears picked up the morning sounds from the kitchenette, and his heartbeat slowed back down again.

The worst thing about waking up in the morning is that first step onto cold, cold linoleum. Harry gathered the duvet around him, letting it drag a little on the carpeted floor of the bedroom, and snuggled into his cocoon as he drifted sleepily down the stairs. Sure enough, the first touch of his toes to the linoleum had him covering a yelp and jumping backward.  
>"Good morning, baby," Theo said, both hands around a rather large, Slytherin-green mug of tea. Harry murmured a good morning back, observing his mates.<p>

Wyatt and Bill had settled in quite nicely, for it being the group's second day back in Scotland. Wyatt seemed a little put out because he didn't know the exact layout of the kitchenette, where everything was, and couldn't get to everything with ease, but other than that he was quite calm. Bill was taking everything in stride, piling fried eggs onto a plate next to the little stove, which Ian, Theo, and Wyatt were serving themselves from.

There was a box on the table, which was suddenly too small for everybody – instead, they were all sitting around the floating island on bar stools. Everybody seemed to have a over-sized coffee mug – Bill's in orange, Ian's in blue, Wyatt's in yellow. An empty purple one sat next to an empty plate that Harry had never seen before – in fact, he'd never seen the coffee mugs, either...

He was still hovering in the doorway, not brave enough to step into the cold linoleum-floored kitchenette yet, but his eyes drew from the boys around the island to the empty table with the box on it.

"What are you waiting for, kid?" Ian called. Harry glanced at the floor and scowled, and the man laughed. "Are you a wizard or not?" a warming charm was murmured at the floor, and Harry cautiously touched his foot to it. Finding it warm, he dropped the duvet and rushed into the kitchen, begging a kiss out of each of his mates.

"Your parents sent us a home-coming gift through the Floo this morning," Wyatt mumbled. "The box is over there. They got us each a personalized mug, too."

Harry glanced suspiciously at the mugs, sleep-addled mind still not up to forming sentences. This often happened to him, especially in the days following Sirius' death. The Healers had said it was the effect of his touching the Veil, but Harry was skeptical. He picked the purple mug (his, apparently) up off the island and examined it for any sign of personalization.

There, on the inside lip of the mug, was his name. "_HARRY JAMES POTTER._" The script was fancy and black, a great contrast to the whitish-yellow glossed porcelain it was written on.

Curiously, the boy padded over to the box. He peeked in, and then picked up the box and sat it on a chair. Harry began to unload things from inside of it: stacks of towels and hand-towels and washrags in orange and white, kitchen towels in yellow, stacks of transparent orange dishes, silverware, glasses, and gobs of other things you find in all households. His eyebrows raised higher and higher as he pulled things out. The last item was a large, hanging wall-clock that was decorated to look like the sun. At first, Harry thought it was a regular clock...and then he realized that instead of hands, there were faces. Instead of numbers, there were words: "_At Home," "Traveling," "At Work," "Mortal Danger," "Visiting Family," "At School," _and several others were written around the outside. All of the hands on the clock pointed to "At Home," so that you could only see the top face – Harry.

Excitedly, he showed it to his mates, lips beginning to try to spit his thoughts out. "Look! They got us a … isn't it great? I've wondered if Mrs. Weasley's was … but now I guess it's normal to …"

Harry's mind thought he was conveying all of what he was trying to convey. In his mind, the thoughts were complete, words well-rounded, shoved out of his mouth without a care in the world because in his mind, he didn't have a problem. Wyatt's and Bill's confused faces clearly _showed _there was a problem, though, and Harry frowned and looked at Theo.

"Harry," Theo sighed.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"You're doing it again. Not finishing your thoughts," Theo murmured gently. "You were doing so good."

"O-oh," Harry frowned and stared at his toes. "I guess I...I..." he forced his mind to slow down for him, to make sense for the ones who needed it to make sense. "I guess I wasn't paying..attention. I mean...focusing on my words," he decided.

"You shouldn't have to," Wyatt's eyebrows were high.

A blush wormed its up his cheeks. "I just.." he trailed off, looking around for anything and everything that he could use as a topic-changer. He was about to try, too, until Theo butted back in.

"It's just this problem he has where he doesn't finish his thoughts out loud. It's not a big deal," he shrugged. "Plenty of people do it, probably."

Harry found himself full of affection for the other boy, the one who was closest in age to him. He placed the clock back in the box and slid into Theo's lap carefully, making sure not to spill the hot drink he cradled in his fingers.

Wyatt looked like he still wanted to question it, but Bill glanced at the clock – the real clock – across from the stove and whistled. "Seven thirty, Wyatt, you'd better go get ready. You too, Theo."

"Mother hen," Theo muttered as he lifted Harry off of his lap. The duo then proceeded to leave and get ready for their day.

"What are you two going to do today?" Bill wondered.

Harry shrugged. "I have a practical lesson with the other submissives and Remus today at around three. I'll probably...I'll.." he narrowed his eyes, realizing he almost went on without explaining fully. _Very clever, brain,_ he thought sarcastically. _Making me sound like an idiot._ "I'll probably just finish some lessons in the rest of my classes."

That was not exactly what ended up happening, though.

The Floo flared up right after Bill departed, when it was just Ian and Harry left in the quarters. Ian slid over to answer the call and let whoever it was through.

James and Lily popped out, both looking exceedingly excited. Harry smiled lightly from where he sat, curled up in the duvet and etching out notes in his familiar, curly handwriting.

"'Morning," he murmured, barely looking up from his book. "Thanks for the stuff, you guys."

"You're welcome," Lily grinned. "We're actually here to ask you if you'd like to come to the Potter Manor with us this morning – we're going to see what we can clean up before this summer."

Harry and Ian glanced at each other and Ian shrugged. Harry folded his book up carefully and stood, still in his pajamas.

"I've got to go get dressed."

– – –

It was possibly the longest Floo trip Harry had ever made. He spun rapidly in the small space for what seemed like _hours _before he was spit into a drawing room, nauseous and on all fours. He retched a little bit, groaning, before Ian pulled him gently up.

"You okay, kid?" he murmured.

"Mmm," Harry mumbled, still feeling queasy. "I hate the Floo."

The drawing room was painted a cream color and had two chairs and a side-table between them across from the fireplace. The door was ajar and Lily's head peaked through it.

"Come on, we don't want you two getting lost, do we?" she smiled lightly, stepping back away from the door so they could come through.

The drawing room was on part of the second floor that was one of those half-stories. Instead of coming up a set of stairs and having a whole floor, you came up a set of stairs and had a small hallway and a railing looking down onto the downstairs living room. At either end of the hallway was a bedroom, and Lily said that there was a bathroom in each.

"You have to understand that this home was meant for _generations _of Potters to live in," she informed them. "If James' parents were still alive, they'd be here, and we'd be here, and they'd do anything to convince _you _to be here, too. It's a huge house that feels really empty with less than ten people in it."

The living-room had a big archway on either wall that went down a few steps into the next room. Each side went into a different 'wing' – east, west, north, and south.

"So that each branch of the family can feel as if they have privacy," Lily stated stoutly just as James came bounding in from the west wing.

"The kitchen's just down there," he chirped, pointing to where the living room dipped down a few steps. "A few feet in and to the right. Dining room is to the left."

The house even had a full basement, which was accessible from just inside the hallway to the east wing.

James took them on a tour of the west wing, which had a long hallway filled with windows. Right inside the archway to the west wing were two doorways – one on either side of the hall, that led outside.

The west wing was beautiful, done in rich cream-colors and browns and golds. There were a handful of "regular" bedrooms and one master, two bathrooms other than the master bath, a sitting room, a kitchenette and a large study. The wing was two floors tall, which meant that every _bedroom _was two floors tall. It blew Harry's mind. He walked into the first bedroom and saw it was mostly empty save for a desk, two arm chairs and a coffee table... then he saw the staircase in the corner, which led up. _Up_ happened to be the rest of the bedroom – the closet, the bed, the nightstand, the whole floor carpeted except for an area in front of a _second _door, which led to the rest of the upper floor.

"This is crazy," Ian muttered. "Like, lap-of-luxury crazy."

"When the manor was built, the Potters were the most wealthy family in the United Kingdom," James smiled. "Since then we've dropped to the third or fourth, but we're still pretty wealthy. What do you think?"

"I think that it's crazy," Ian repeated, shaking his head in awe. "It's like a house built onto another house."

Lily, straightening an empty picture frame, looked at Harry. "What about you?"

"I think it's crazy, too," Harry laughed. "But beautiful. Who lived here?"

"Your great aunt's family," James rolled his shoulders. "Most of them died battling in the war against Grindelwald. That was around the time the manor fell out of use. Everyone remembered the happy memories here and couldn't bear to live here without the others. My parents were the last ones who used it, twenty years ago."

"But nobody _died _here?" Harry asked, a little panicked.

"Oh, no, love," Lily shook her head quickly. "The Potters are a Gryffindor family through and through – most of them died in the front-lines of wars or trying to capture dark wizards or being roasted by dragons. Those who didn't either grew much too old and were hospitalized and died _there,_ or they caught sicknesses that hospitalized them and they died there. Nobody has died in this house for over a century."

Harry relaxed a little. "So Remus and Tonks and Sirius are going to move in, then?"

"Yeah," James beamed. "Sirius has claimed the east wing and Remus and Tonks would like the south wing."

"So this one's going to stay empty for a while then, huh?" Ian asked, looking around the bedroom.

"Well.." Lily flashed a look at James. "We were actually hoping the five of you would move in here."

The first time it had been proposed, Harry had been unsure and still slightly avoiding his parents. He'd been distancing himself from them, as if they'd just disappear, because he didn't want to get hurt again. People who got close to him died. (And apparently came back to life, but that's beside the point.) It was a fact. Sirius, Lily and James, Cedric. Mr. Weasley would have died if he hadn't seen the snake attack as it was happening. It was only a matter of time before someone else died – and he wouldn't be able to take it if it was his parents.

But this time, Harry felt a little thrill go through him as he remembered the beautiful draperies of gold and brown...which almost remind him of the Hall of Gathering, except homier.

"You could repaint, redecorate," James offered. "Get new furniture. We just want to make sure the five of you – six of you – will have somewhere to stay when the baby comes."

"James," Harry hid a tiny smile. "Ian, Bill, and Wyatt all have stable – er, well, somewhat stable jobs. Theo and I will have jobs when we graduate next year. That's five incomes for one family. We can handle ourselves."

Ian looked at Harry with raised eyebrows, and Harry shrugged. James looked a little deflated, of course, until Ian stated: "We'll talk with the others."

James' eyes lit up in victory.

The other boys were in full-on panic mode when Harry and Ian arrived home. Wyatt was the first to notice them and came snuffling around, even sniffing Ian, until they shoved him away. The clock said it was almost five o'clock, meaning school and work had been over for almost an hour.

"Where have you _been_?" Bill snarled, eyes glinting with fury and relief. Theo was twisting his fingers and looked ready to come over and pick Harry up and never put him down again.

"Lily and James asked us to come see the manor," Ian responded, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, you'd think we were kidnapped or something."

"You could have left a note," snapped Theo. "Or something to let us know you _weren't _kidnapped."

Ian pinched the bridge of his nose irritably, shaking his head, but Harry let out a small growl to let them know _he _was getting mad. "Look around you, you dimwits. If we were _kidnapped, _we would have put up a fight. Does it _look_ like we put up a fight? No?"

"You could have been stunned," Wyatt pointed out, but was calming down a little.

"Stunners don't work on Sarkany," Bill and Ian spoke at once. Bill's eyes were going back to normal now, softening, and he encased both Ian and Harry in hugs. "Really, though," he whispered. "Leave a note next time."

When they were all settled around the coffee table, Ian began to explain to them what had happened in the manor and how amazing it all was. Theo was all for moving in there ("but only for a little while"), but Wyatt flat-out refused and Bill didn't think it was right for the five of them – who were capable of holding their own weight – to move in with Lily and James.

"It's not like that," Ian shook his head. "Literally, the west wing is like a house built on to a house. There are separate bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room. It's like...four houses stuck to a central living room. We'd still be pulling our own weight, we'd be expected to go to work and earn money, we'd just be with family."

"_Harry's _family," Wyatt pointed out. "What about the rest of our families?"

"What about them?" Ian asked. "My dad's dead and my mom's taking care of her younger chicks. Theo's parents would be happy to have us but they'd be pushing Theo toward what his _submissive _wanted. Bill's mum has six other kids she has to worry about, and while she'd gladly take the five of us in, there really isn't room. What about _your _parents?"

Wyatt shifted uncomfortably and muttered, "Busy with children."

"That's what I thought," Ian settled back smugly. "Now, if you can come up with a _good _reason you don't want to move in with them..."

"It's just," Wyatt looked around uncomfortably. "Remus Lupin is a _werewolf._"

Silence. Harry's eyes filled with hurt, and he muttered gruffly, "You won't move in to an amazing home because there will be a werewolf living there, too? You..you.."

"Harry," Theo warned.

"Don't 'Harry' me," Harry snapped. "I'm tired of racist bigots! You're not _better _than him because he unwillingly becomes a werewolf _once a month. _He's more human than _we _are. We're _always _Sarkany and we always _will _be. Just because he's _diseased _doesn't mean he's more dangerous than us. If we lose our temper, our wings and claws come out and we have to be _physically restrained _to keep from injuring or killing. Remus takes a potion that makes him _harmless!_"

Wyatt looked guilty, but he stood his ground. "He's diseased. If he bites one of us – one of our _chicks _– we'd _die. _Sarkany can't become werewolves. The disease burns our veins, collapses our chests...we'd be dead within the week. We're _not _going to be around those Creatures. Once a month my _arse._ If _he _loses his temper, if he feels his family is in danger, his wolf can take over _just _as easily as our Sarkany can."

Harry didn't realize his hand was outstretched until it had already smacked Wyatt. He pulled it back in shock, and then smacked the older boy a second time. It felt really, _really _good.

"It doesn't matter what _you _think," he whispered harshly, aware that his pupils were slitting. He was losing control, and quickly. "I'm moving in with them and so is the chick I'm carrying. For all I care, you can live here for the rest of your life."

"No." Wyatt shook his head. "You're not."

"You can't _tell _me what to do. I'm not an adult, but you're not my guardian, either. I don't have to listen to you," Harry growled stubbornly, and then lost his mind to the Sarkany.

Wyatt turned him over on his lap and spanked him – once, twice, a third time, but never got to the fourth because Harry's teeth, dripping acid, sank into his thigh. Wyatt grasped Harry's hair but the harder Wyatt pulled, the deeper Harry sunk his teeth – it would be a never-ending cycle, because Harry was not going to let go first...at least not without a good chunk of Wyatt's thigh.

The acid was burning the skin and it was literally like rubbing salt into an open wound. Harry knew it was hurting his mate, but couldn't his mate see that he was hurting Harry?

Wyatt let go.

Harry jumped up, wings outstretched widely – his mates' eyes were immediately drawn to them, for they hadn't seen them open since before Wyatt and Bill had joined them. Now, the purple and orange scales were joined by green and silver, and the boys were almost instantly trying to touch them and pet him.

He slapped a hand away, jumping backward. "Don't touch me."

"Harry!" Wyatt, who had managed to staunch the bleeding, hissed. "Get over here."

"_No._"

Harry turned and literally _flew _out the door.

* * *

><p><em>Soo. What have *I* been doing, you ask? Not much actually. Went to the zoo with my family a couple of days ago, my sisters absolutely loved it... hmm... I had a new idea for a story called "War Birds" - absolutely loving the idea so far. <em>

_Basically, nearing the end of the war, Voldy and the Death Eaters realized they were losing. In order to "Save face", they decided to MAKE themselves some more DEs... by kidnapping people and Imperiusing them. After a few months of the kidnapped "Caged Angels" being used in the war, they'd be "bred" - which would make this story obviously either T or light M for trigger mentions. _

_The resulting offspring are called the War Birds. The story is about Harry Potter's particular War Birds. _

_I actually got this idea when I decided I wanted to try to write a POEM. The poem did not..uh...take shape in the way it was supposed to. These are the last three stanzas:_

* * *

><p>In a rather large house on top of West Hill<p>

A Caged Angel is perched in the windowsill

A brood of little ones play in his wake

But he's forever waiting for the day he will break.

For as a Caged Angel you hadn't a voice

you were called as a slave and bred with no choice.

So now the Caged Angel in the windowsill

Has three permanent memories from his time in hell.

Now, along comes a man with a peculiar task

to start a playgroup for the War Birds at last.

So Renna and Indy and Sammy gain friends

And through them their Daddy starts over again.

Soon, though, it seems, people begin to disagree

and say the War Birds bring only misery

And up springs a group who wish for their death

But past the Caged Angels they'll have to get.

* * *

><p><em>Er...yeah..I'm not the best poet. Sh! So what do you think? <em>

_~Kymmie_


	19. AN: Excuses, Possible Rewrites

Author's Note;;

Hi guys. It's come to my notice that I haven't updated this story - my baby - in upwards of 6 months. I'm aware that plenty of you have probably stopped being interested in HPATSF, and a lot of people have left FF for their new enforcement of old rules. I, myself, was one of those people (until I recently, as in yesterday, came back).

However I do have a somewhat viable excuse. The rest of July and August I was mainly driving - to finally get my license because I've put it off for so long. September I was doing school.

At the end of September I had a house fire. A bad one - my room was the only room where things were salvageable, including my laptop. For the last three to four months I've been dealing with that, and the death of my cat, Ash - who I mentioned earlier in an author's note. He died of smoke inhalation and I've been pretty torn up (I'm tearing up just typing about it, and I completely lost it earlier this month when I found his adoption papers. I mean, full on screeching, wailing sobs.)

So...yeah.

I'm writing this author's note to inform you all that I plan to continue this story. I was planning to post this chapter, #19, today after rereading the whole story and looking at the unposted chapters. However, it came to my attention while reading this chapter that I've deleted a large chunk of it in the editing process and never finished rearranging everything, so it's sort of a mess, and I won't subject you to that.

I also think I'll be rewriting this story. Why do I always rewrite my stories guh this is why I have to write them primarily all the way before even thinking about posting them.

Anyways...hope I've still got some loyal readers out there.

Things that I hope to happen in the next version;;

-Harry will have more time to come to terms with his Sarkany-ism before "getting" his first mate.

-Harry and Theo will not meet Ian in the first Meeting. I was upset with how much I rushed through the meetings and the first pregnancy - you guys haven't even gotten to the birth but I've written 25 chapters for this story and in the newest chapter Harry's given birth. I planned on exactly how many, what gender, and everything this baby and future babies would be but the way I wrote it sounded like I was going by the seat of my pants.

-Reactions will be better. As in, meeting James and Lily and all.

-I'm going to attempt to branch out further from Rise of the Drackens. The beginning of this story is very close to that one and I don't like that. I think perhaps I also need to work on fleshing out my "version" of the Drackens, and all.

-Perhaps the addition of a fifth mate, perhaps not. I can't decide.

-Revamped Meetings

And so much more stuff like all the time skips will hopefully be better written and I won't use "Morning dawned bright and early for -" every single chapter because heh that was really annoying wasn't it.

So yeah, hopefully I'll get to writing the new version. I think I'll leave this one up though, unlike deleting it like I did with The Dawning of a New Day when I rewrote it.

Thanks,

Kymmie


	20. AN: Rewrite POSTED, HPATSFs Future

Author's Note;;

The rewrite is OFFICIALLY up...it's called Sarkany Secrets. There's a lot of reasons why I'm hesitant to post it, but here is the gist;;

-It's different. Very, very, very different. HPATSF was a big deal to me, it was my baby, but it just wasn't what I wanted it to be... Secrets is hopefully going to be that, and I've found a way to do it that I really like. (for example: James and Lily never died in Secrets. There is not spontaneous coming-back-from-the-dead, and there is no Sarkany Flame. That's why it's got a different name xD)...

-it's angsty. I like to write angst though I'm not particularly good at it. (First chapter, the prologue, isn't angsty though :) )

-I haven't written anything but the prologue.

...yeah.

you heard me.

Almost a month and I've written a PROLOGUE.

1.6K WORDS. IN A MONTH.

But there's a reason for this. That reason is the prologue is HPATSF's SEVENTH rewrite... literally. The ONLY reason I posted the prologue when I didn't have anything else written is because I needed to settle on a storyline. And by posting it, I made Secrets official. So. There ya go.

**The Future of HPATSF:**

A lot of you are going to hate Secrets. I understand that. It's too unfathomably different. You signed up for HPATSF, not Secrets. So here's the deal:

1. I will not remove HPATSF from the site. Even though, when I rewrote the Dawning of a New Day I took it down and replaced it with The New Dawning, I won't do that here.

2. I will not replace the HPATSF chapters with chapters from Secrets. You will still be able to read HPATSF if you want to.

3. I will not be finishing HPATSF. But - wait, don't get your pitchforks! - it IS mostly finished, anticlimactic almost-ending and all.

4. I will be posting the chapters I had prewritten. That is...IDEK how many chapters. 4-5? Maybe?

5. I will not be editing those chapters. You get them in all their crappy glory! (and believe me it gets pretty bad near the end... like worse than it already is bad...) This means that you might find large, gaping mistakes such as a) in one chapter I removed a whole scene but have not yet edited the result of the scene, so Wyatt (have you met wyatt? I think so) is limping around from HArry having bitten him except LOL Harry never bit him. -shot-

So I think there's up to chapter 25. You see Baby born, Teddy born, Shay's baby and Lexie's baby, you see total meltdown drama of James, we find out why exactly James took a human wife instead of a mate (which is a crappy chapter but one of my favorites), we find out what happened to Snape's mate, umm...we meet Wynter! (Or have you already met Wynter?)...it sucks when you prewrite so you don't even know what chapters your readers have read up to. We also get crappy plot action! (VERY crappy plot action like seriously what was I thinking)

So yeah.."chpt 19 for realz" will be up sometime within the next few days... (also thank you all for your condolences, it means a lot to me.)

=Ky


	21. Dreamed Delusions

_A/N:: Here is the long-awaited 19th chapter...{: I'll put the next chapter up with Chapter 1 of Secrets. Also: currently there are 25 chapters of HPATSF written, so you'll have at least that many to look forward to. I might finish this story if I ever get bored. c: _

_Also: Happy 1st Birthday HPATSF! I posted this 1 year and 10 days ago...has it really been that long? A reader noted that my writing style has changed quite a bit - I had to remind them that I prewrote over half of HPATSF, didn't publish it for several months. The first half is about a year and a half old, the second half is a little less than a year old.. so yeah. C:_

**_Disclaimer;; I do not own Harry Potter. I only own what you recognize. The rest belongs to either JKR or StarLight_Massacre._**

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Nineteen: Dreamed Delusions**

"He's got to stop doing this," Ian mumbled to Bill as they slipped around the castle in search of their mate – who, when angry and faced with his mates, seemed to have a 'flight' mode instead of a 'fight' mode, though Wyatt _was_ still in the hospital wing being treated for the bite wound Harry had inflicted on him. Ian didn't blame the kid one bit for biting the idiot, especially when Wyatt decided it would be okay to _spank _the submissive for disagreeing with him. Of course, Sarkany instincts wouldn't allow one dominant to interfere with another dominant's punishments, but that didn't stop Bill, Theo, and Ian from battering Wyatt around once Harry had gone.

"At least he isn't like some submissives," Bill responded. "Who literally beat their dominants to death when they're angry."

"I guess this _is _a better alternative," Ian snickered.

Draco found them wandering around the castle aimlessly at around seven o'clock. "Looking for Harry?" he guessed.

"Yeah, you seen him?" Ian asked.

Draco frowned lightly. "He made me promise not to tell you where he went, but if _I _was you...I'd check around the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor."

"Thanks," Bill called as Draco turned to walk away.

"For what?" Draco asked, eyebrows raised.

Ian just snorted and they continued on their way, slipping down two floors to get to the corridor. Sure enough, Harry was just coming out of the portrait that guarded his godfather's quarters.

Harry's eyes, human eyes, flashed when he saw them and for a moment Ian thought the boy was going to flee again. But Harry's shoulders just tensed and he stood there facing them, eyes daring them to say something. Ian couldn't find any words, and it seemed that Bill couldn't, either.

Harry snorted and turned on his heel, padding away from them. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his shoes, and his bare feet slapped on the cold stone and made his footsteps echo through the hallway. Ian's lips parted and he watched his submissive walk away, unable to say anything to the boy.

"Harry!"

Theo came darting around the corner at full speed and nearly ran into the boy before wrapping his arms around Harry and plopping down onto the floor right where he stood. Harry struggled for a few moments, whining in protest of Theo's grip on him, before relaxing into the quiet boy.

Ian watched the duo purr and cuddle together, jealousy clawing at his throat. Theo had been the first mate and Ian knew he'd always hold a special place in Harry's heart, but it still hurt to watch a little bit.

Somehow, Theo got Harry relaxed and clingy and the boy nearly cried when Theo stood up and untangled them. He made this distressed noise in his throat and Ian had the insane urge to protect the younger boy.

"You can't keep running off like that," Bill stated when Harry was completely calm. "Not only do we get worried, but you can't keep fleeing from your problems."

"I'm sorry."

Ian was horrified to see tears streaking down his strong little mate's face and this time he did move forward, wrapping the boy up in his arms. "You don't need to cry, kid," he hummed.

"I-I-I was just so angry," Harry whimpered, curling his fingers into Ian's shirt. "And then he – and then he hi- spanked me and I ...it was so unfair and so I bit him, but I didn't mean to, I swear, I'm sorry!"

Theo continued petting him and humming softly.

"I ju-just don't understand why everyone's so against werewolves," Harry's chest shuddered in a way that showed he was trying to stifle his sobs. "I want to go home," he decided suddenly. "Please take me home."

They walked him up four flights of stairs before, blurry-eyed, he'd tripped and hit his shins on the steps. For fear of him falling down the stairs, Ian carried him the rest of the way – three more flights of stairs. When they got home, Harry immediately wiggled under his duvet, which was still on the couch from that morning.

– – –

Theo and Wyatt opted to walk back from the hospital wing. Wyatt was limping a little bit, favoring the leg that Harry'd bitten, but seemed otherwise fine. Theo pressed their sides together and they made their way back to their rooms.

"I think I love him, Theo," Wyatt murmured thickly.

"I know," Theo agreed. "I do, too."

"It scares me," Wyatt admitted. "I only just met him...eight days ago. Or ten."

Theo wrapped his arm around Wyatt's waist and they walked along like that. The sky outside was long dark, it being around eight or nine o'clock by now. "I felt that way, too." he whispered.

"I thought love was supposed to take time," Wyatt muttered, looking away. "I thought...I don't even know what I thought."

"The mating process speeds things up," Theo explained lightly. "Your Sarkany begins to love the submissive's Sarkany and the feelings seep through to you, but you don't really realize it until you are just as in love with the submissive as the Sarkany is, and then you realize that you've loved them all along in some way.."

Wyatt snorted. "So this feeling is fake. Something my Sarkany is making me feel?"

"Not even a fraction of it is fake," Theo decided after a second. "The feelings seep through to you, maybe, but they're just an idea. Something that could happen, maybe, if you wanted it to. In order for them to really take hold of you – you actually have to have the feelings yourself."

Wyatt looked at the floor. "I really messed up tonight, didn't I?"

"A little," Theo laughed quietly. "What you did is...well, imagine you wanting to move in with your sister. Imagine me getting angry, screaming with all my might that no, we can't move in with her, she's a female submissive. That's how Harry sees it – you're yelling facts at him, facts he already knows and has put to the side because he doesn't care. He loves Remus."

"Don't you think it's weird, though?" Wyatt demanded, eyes far away. "Loving someone that could kill you in a moment's notice."

"You underestimate Harry," Theo murmured, smiling lightly. "You love Harry and Harry could kill you. Neither situation is likely, though. Remus would rather kill himself than hurt Harry or _any _of us. He's amazing, really."

Wyatt looked at him, scrutinizing. "What do you mean?"

"He taught in our Third Year, too," Theo said softly, remembering. "He was kind, the best professor we'd ever had. At the end of Third Year we were all surprised that he was a werewolf, but it was still a hard blow knowing he'd not be back. Nearly the whole school petitioned for him to be allowed to teach again this year. That's as united as we've ever been, really. Even most of the Slytherins stood in for the protest."

Wyatt stopped suddenly and turned to Theo. "How do you know he won't hurt Harry?"

Theo laughed. A loud laugh, startled. "How do I know? Wyatt, even if he _wanted _to hurt Harry, it would be damn near impossible. Not only does he take the Wolfsbane Potion – which allows him to keep his human mind during the change – but he's accompanied every single change by two Animagi who keep him in line. They've been doing that for years."

The duo stared at each other for a few more minutes before they continued on. Their quarters were silent when they got in, all the lights still on. Theo went around turning them off and called Wyatt to come with him upstairs.

Harry, Bill, and Ian were sound asleep. Harry looked like he was in the most peaceful place you can imagine and both Ian and Bill had their arms around him, curled against him. Theo smiled and tugged his shirt off, crawling into the bed with his mates.

"Goodnight, Wyatt," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Theo."

– – –

It was two days later that Harry sneaked out of bed in the middle of the night and went to find Hermione and Ron in the Room of Requirements. Everything had been pretty good after he had calmed down, though he hadn't apologized for his reaction. Wyatt had been very awkward, but fluttered around Harry as if it had never happened in the first place.

Hermione and Ron were sat in front of the fire in the Room of Requirements, quietly chatting amongst themselves. Harry made his presence known when he sat next to Hermione and forced her closer to Ron, smirking evilly.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about, mate?" Ron asked, arching his back until it popped.

Harry looked around and then hurriedly whispered: "I found a way to kill Voldemort."

As expected, his friends looked shocked and immediately began badgering him for details. He told them all about Horcruxes and they were amazing listeners, making just the perfect faces. He explained how he'd already destroyed one – the Diary – and Dumbledore had destroyed another – a ring, and then their theory as to what the rest of them were.

"Something special to Hogwarts," Hermione frowned. "Like the Gryffindor Sword?"

Harry's eyebrows drew together. "No, we already know that's not a Horcrux. Do the other houses have anything like that?"

Hermione nodded slowly. "Yes. Ravenclaw's diadem – said to give the wearer almost infinite knowledge – and Hufflepuff's goblet. I'm not sure about Slytherin...supposedly Salazar Slytherin had a locket he passed down through his family, but I'm not sure about the truth in that."

Harry's heart beat excitedly. "Okay! Well, where are the diadem and the goblet?"

Hermione's face made him wilt. "I'm sorry, Harry, but the diadem has been missing for years and the goblet was sold a long time ago."

"We'll do some research as to where they are, then. Who the last documented person to have them was," Harry said, getting antsy. "I have to destroy the remaining five, don't you understand, Hermione? I can't bring a chick into a world where Voldemort still reigns freely."

Hermione nodded sadly. "I understand, but – oh, Harry," her face scrunched up. "The diary, a ring, a diadem and a goblet – that's only four. If there truly is a locket, that would be five, but what about the other two?"

Harry quickly explained about Nagini and then admitted he didn't know what the last one was – there were no other clues as to what it may or may not be.

After a few more minutes of thinking, Harry decided it would be best to get back before the boys missed him. He said goodbye and allowed Hermione to touch his belly ("Hermione, the baby is the size of a _raspberry._" "So, it's still the thought!") and advise him to see Madame Pomfrey for information on what what he should be doing.

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Harry padded out of the room with the Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders. His bed was still nice and warm when he got back to the quarters and nobody so much as stirred when he curled himself into Theo's back.

Closing his eyes, sleep carried him away easily.

_The house was impeccably clean, smelling of cinnamon and rather warm. Harry was curled up on the couch with his hands wrapped around a cup of hot cocoa, belly round and pregnant. In front of him, three little boys were dancing up a storm. They were probably four, two with black hair and blue eyes and freckles and the other with brunette hair and green eyes. Suddenly another boy joined them, lithe with a shock of purple hair and lemon-yellow eyes. Tonks followed him in, calling his name – Harry's mind couldn't comprehend what it was – and then sitting down on the couch with Harry. Her belly, too, was round with pregnancy, though significantly smaller than Harry's. _

"_Do you think it's be triplets again?" she asked happily._

"_Triplets?" Harry asked, then looked over at the original three boys. "Oh...maybe," he said, struggling around in the foggy room, trying to grasp what was going on. A little girl with pigtails bounced into the room, about three inches shorter than the boys who were apparently triplets. Her hair was black and her eyes green and she looked remarkably like Harry._

"_Harry!" the little girl cried happily, green eyes dancing. _

"_Uh...hi," Harry swallowed thickly, eyebrows raising. _

"_Harry?" Tonks asked, feeling his forehead. "That's your sister, her name is –" he didn't quite catch the name, but realized he hadn't caught _any _names he didn't already know. He didn't ask for it again. His mouth greeted the little girl – his sister, the same age as his..sons? _

"_It's your sons' birthdays," Tonks explained, looking worried that he didn't realize what was going on. "Seamus and Lexi should be here soon."_

_Sure enough, two little girls came bounding in hand-in-hand, one blond and fair and the other sandy-haired, light-skinned, blue-eyed. Seamus and Lexi sat down with Harry, Lexi looking like she was about to pop and Seamus flat-bellied and happy. _

"_Where are the boys?" Lily asked as she plopped down next to Harry. _

_Harry's mouth answered automatically, though he didn't know where the answer came from: "Setting up the party."_

_Three little girls, four little boys, all the same age – in his living room, Harry realized, the west wing's living room. It was somewhat amazing. _

"_Daddy!" shrieked one of the boys, one of the black-haired boys. The boy crawled into Harry's lap, giggling hysterically, and proceeded to explain what the little girl with blond hair had just done that he'd missed._

Harry's eyes opened slowly, and a tiny smile spread across his face as he felt his belly. "Mine," he hummed happily, and fell asleep again.

* * *

><p><em>AN: Aww, cheesy. HPATSF always turns out cheesy. Believe me. The last two or three chapters are CHEESERIFFIC._

_**TND (The New Dawning) Readers: A reader has kindly offered to translate TND into French! If you're French, or read French, why don't you give it a read? Link: /s/9101770/1/**  
><em>

_**If anyone wants to translate any of my stories into any language, lemme know!**_

_=Ky_


	22. Wedding Woes

**Boom-de-ada boom-de-ada...**_What excuses can I make about taking 5 months to post up a chapter that has been written for over a year? Um...I got a job? Eww, I know. But really, I didn't want to post this chapter until I posted the first chapter of SS, which I FINALLY have done, so there's that. _

_Uh. Enjoy?_

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Twenty: Wedding Woes**

Harry tugged irritably at his dress robes, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. He understood that this was a wedding but, honestly, he didn't want to be here. Mostly because he had to wear these robes. These silly robes! Why couldn't he wear a tuxedo? The girls got to wear muggle dresses. Why couldn't he wear a muggle tuxedo?

Of course there weren't many girls – Tonks' mother, who Harry had never met before but who looked amazingly like her sister, Bellatrix. Tonks' Aunt Narcissa, who had rejoined the Black Family after Lucius died. Mrs. Weasley, Lily, Lexi, Ginny, and Hermione.

On the other hand, there were about a million men. Ted Tonks, Tonks' dad; Draco, arm wrapped tightly around Lexi (who was beginning to show a small baby bump); Sirius and James; Harry, Bill, Ian, and Wyatt – all dressed in black except for Harry, who was in the bottle green robes he'd been tricked into buying at Gladrag's in January, and then the Weasley boys.

Which was the other reason he was not glad to be here.

The Weasleys were a lovely family. He loved them as if they were his _own _family, really. But this was the first time he'd seen any of them after Bill, except Ron and Ginny – and apparently Bill had warned his mother off writing to him, because she hadn't written to him at all. He'd barely caught a glance of the twins as they slipped in the door, but when he did, he groaned in frustration, knowing that they would probably be full of jokes at his expense.

But...they had to be polite during the service. And then, at the party – the reception? Harry didn't know all of this wedding lingo – they'd be able to tease him...if he couldn't get away in time.

Which is exactly what happened.

Harry was congratulating Tonks and Remus on their marriage, trying to make a quick escape, when Tonks told him that the baby had begun kicking. Now, she was only five months along, belly swollen but not so much as to where it was hard to move. Harry was fascinated that you could _feel _the baby kicking, and she let him touch her belly.

Now he knew why Hermione had wanted to touch _his:_ the feeling of something moving, something alive...it was amazing. The baby kicked his hand and he let out a pleased giggle, jerking his hand back.

And that's when the Weasleys caught up to him.

"Harry!" a large hand clapped down on his shoulder. Harry, resigning himself to his fate, turned his face up to meet Charlie Weasley's eyes.

"Hello," he murmured shyly. He'd only met the man twice: once at the World Cup and the other right after he 'fought' the Hungarian Horntail.

"Congrats, Tonks, Remus," Charlie smiled brightly. "I'll be back in a second to feel that baby kicking – but I need to steal Harry away real quick."

He was dragged to the Weasleys' table, where the nine of them were standing along with Hermione, who Ron had asked to accompany him. Harry wiggled out from under Charlie's hand and practically hid himself in Bill's side.

"Ohhh," Mrs. Weasley cried, putting her hands on her mouth. "My baby, all grown up with a mate – oh, I didn't think he'd be this young, but...my baby!" she nearly shouted, looking just so overjoyed. "Tell me, are you happy?"

Theo swept up next to the duo, looking murderous. "Bill, go tell that nut-job not to drink anymore because _I_ for one am not dragging his sorry arse home."

Bill and Harry both looked behind them, to where a clearly tipsy Ian stood giggling with Andromeda and Ted. Harry sighed.

"I'll grab him," he decided – he'd do anything for a chance to escape the grips of the Weasley clan. He walked right over to Ian, who wrapped him in his arm with delight.

"Look...look 'ere! This's 'Arry Potter!" Ian giggled wildly.

"They know who I am, Ian," Harry grumbled, tugging his arms. "Come on, give me that drink, you don't need anymore."

Ian easily gave up the drink and followed him back to the Weasleys' table, where he was plopped down in a chair by Bill and spelled sober again. He blinked, looking around, and then shrugged.

"Idiot," Theo muttered fondly.

"Oi," Ian yelped, holding his chest. "You wound me!"

"Children," Bill murmured in a very serious voice. "My parents are trying to introduce themselves to you. Where did Wyatt get off to?"

"Right here!" called Wyatt, darting across the lawn of Potter Manor – where the after-party or reception or whatever the Wizards wanted to call it was being held. Once all five of them were huddled together, Bill began the introductions.

"That's my mum, Molly, and dad, Arthur. That's Charlie, and then Percy, Fred, George, and you know Ron – have you met Ginny?" he asked them. The girl had practically been avoiding Harry all year, so it wouldn't surprise him if they didn't. "She's the youngest. Guys, these are my mates. Harry, Sebastian Lowell-"

"Call me Ian," Ian said, winking heavily. "Sebastian's a terrible name, don't know why my mother decided to name me that.

"-Wyatt Anderson, and Theodore Nott. Who we call Theo," Bill finished, smiling lightly.

"Never would have taken you for gay, brother dear," Fred chirped brightly.

"Or you, Harry dear," George added. "Shame, really, I had bet that you and Ginny would get married."

"I'm sorry..?" Harry asked, cocking his head.

"You're twins, right?" Ian questioned. "I hope the baby is twins," he said cheerfully. "Twins are awesome."

"Ian!" Bill yelled, mouth opening in shock. The whole family had went silent. Harry took one step back slowly, then fully hid himself behind Bill. Knowing Molly, he'd be bombarded by hugs and kisses and never be left alone again.

"You didn't _tell _them?" Ron asked, amused face staring up at Bill. "Merlin, you're in for it."

"There's a _baby _on the way?" Molly asked in a deadly calm voice. "You got a sixteen year old _boy _pregnant?"

Harry squeaked indignantly, peeking out from behind Bill. "It's not like it was his choice!" and that just made it sound worse, and he knew that anything else he said would just dig them into a bigger hole. Ian hurriedly explained what happens during the heat, which was even _more _embarrassing.

"So we might have a niece or a nephew on the way?" Fred asked, eyes huge. Fred and George had both only been three when Ginny was born, so they wouldn't remember having a baby that small in the family.

"No, you _do _have a niece or a nephew on the way," Bill chided. "It doesn't matter whose it is biologically. The family structure says that we're all fathers, and that's how it will be. Of course they'll know who their biological father is, but really it doesn't matter."

Fred and George glanced at each other, amazed, and then yelled together: "Uncles!"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner," Bill apologized sheepishly. "I just thought that maybe it was better for an in-person thing. And really it hasn't been all that long – he's only a week or two pregnant."

"The only thing that matters is if you're happy," Molly decided after a moment.

"Insanely," Bill smiled a little, cuffing Ian 'round the head. "We have our moments, but it's amazing really. We've all only known each other for a couple of months but it's like I've known them my whole life."

"Cheesy," Fred muttered. The twins wandered off to go pull a prank on someone, no doubt. Ron and Hermione parted ways with them, too, going to see Tonks and Remus.

"Are you going to have a wedding, dears?" Molly asked quietly, smiling.

"No," Ian stretched. "Nor a bonding. The fact that we're mated makes it official in the Ministry, and we know we're mated forever – and that's all that matters, really."

"Oh," Molly blinked. "But..what will the baby's name be?"

Harry rolled his eyes a little, but couldn't begrudge her the question. It was kind of hard to understand, he supposed – it had been hard for him at first, and Hermione hadn't understood it when she was told. "The baby will take its biological father's last name."

That was the easy part. The hard part was explaining how twins or triplets who might all have different fathers would always have different surnames. People just didn't understand. Just because they're twins, doesn't mean they have to have the same _everything. _In fact, Harry was sure it must get tiring after a while, sharing your whole world with someone else just because you were womb-mates. Fred and George didn't seem to mind it, but Padma and Parvati did...quite a lot. They were identical, and that made it worse: they shared _everything _except their personalities, and most of the time, people just didn't look far enough to see that they weren't the same.

It was sad, really.

Luckily they didn't have to explain too far into it – Molly took 'biological father's surname' at its face value and moved on, asking who else knew and what they wanted ("A baby," Harry responded with an incredulous look. "Boy or girl, it'll still be our baby.") and if they'd begun thinking up names ("No, I rather thought we'd go with the 'see the baby, name the baby' way. By the seat of our pants, I mean," Bill frowned.) or buying clothing or setting up a room for the baby and when the baby was due and, and, and. Harry was ready to scream. Even his own mother hadn't pestered him this much! Of course, she got the information out of him in other, nonchalant ways...but she hadn't been so direct and annoying and oh god he was getting mood-swingy.

"I'm going to speak to my father," he murmured airily, spotting the three Marauders laughing together by the punch bowl. Harry could practically _feel _his mates watching him leave, but he couldn't care more if he tried. He needed out before his magic unleashed itself and silenced Bill's mother. That would be very embarrassing indeed.

"Hey, cub," Sirius barked, arms behind his head. His robes were all the way unbuttoned, showing off his black trousers and white dress shirt. The Potter Manor had been secluded in a warming ward, which quite literally warmed the area inside the ward up for occasions such as these. It was nice.

"Hi," Harry murmured, shooting a distasteful look behind him. "What are you three talking about?"

James shrugged. "Nothing much."

"What's wrong?" Remus added, glancing behind Harry in worry. "Is something bothering you?"

This is what he loved about Remus. James and Sirius, while being his father and godfather, were all jokes and play, rarely coming back to be serious. Remus was kind and compassionate, though, and always worried for others' well-beings. He'd make a wonderful father.

"Mrs. Weasley is being over-bearing," he scowled. "Ian let slip that I was going to have a baby."

"Ouch," Sirius wince sympathetically. "Couch time for Mr. Lowell?" he guessed.

"What? No," Harry frowned. "Why would I do that? We solve our problems before we go to bed."

"Good on you, mate," Sirius nodded with mock-seriousness. "Sleeping on the couch sucks bollocks. Not that I know, strictly speaking, as I've not got myself a lady. But.." he shrugged. "The thought of being kicked out of my own bed!"

Harry cracked a smile, then hid it and feigned serious, too. "Yes, Mr. Black, when _are _you going to get yourself a lady? Or are you swinging for the other team, now?" he teased.

Sirius cocked his head and then shrugged. "Either or, I guess."

He was then sprayed by the red juice that had previously been in James' mouth. "W-what?" James spluttered.

"I can appreciate masculine physique," Sirius pouted. "And really, I've heard men are better in bed. Is it true, Harry?"

"W-what?" Harry asked, repeating his father's sentiments. His face flushed bright red. "I don't have anything to compare it to!"

Now he was wishing he was back with Molly, because at least she didn't ask him awkward questions like that. Though it was nice to be treated like an adult – except when it happened to be your father's best friend treating you like one. Then it's just embarrassing.

"Be good, Sirius," Remus frowned. "You're embarrassing him. But he makes a valid point. When _are _you going to settle down? Soon you'll be the only one without a significant other – it'll be especially lonely when we all move in here."

Sirius made a face and then shrugged, suddenly sincere. "I don't know. I've never really...thought about it, I guess. I never saw the appeal. But now both of you are married – and Tonks and Harry have kids on the way – I guess I kind of do see why people get married."

"I could probably find you a date," Harry stated cheerfully, not wanting to see his godfather upset. "I've got a lot of time on my hands since I do independent study."

"My godson wants to set me up," Sirius said, skeptically. "I think I can find a lady on my own, no offense. I wonder if Emmaline Vance is still single..."

Harry and the trio of men continued talking for a long time, joined for short periods by others, until the sky was long dark and the paper lanterns were the ones lighting up the sky. Bill arrived next to them just as Harry yawned, smiling and holding out his arm.

"Come on, then, Mr. Potter," he said in a playful voice. "It's high time we get your baby off to bed, don't you think?"

"Very well," Harry murmured, curling himself up against Bill's side. He waved happily to his parents, then drifted off inside the house to the Drawing Room, where the others were waiting. "I'm tired," he mumbled, not having realized just how tired he was. He tried to sit down in one of the chairs in the room, but Bill was having none of that.

"If you sit down now, you'll probably fall asleep. Come on," he tugged Harry up next to the Floo and then threw in the powder.

At home, while the boys were taking off their shoes and socks and dress clothes, Harry sank into the couch gratefully. And Bill was right.

He fell asleep.

– – –

February faded into March and Harry's quarters began to be filled with pictures. Pictures everywhere: pictures of he and Seamus and Lexi comparing bellies (Seamus, who was now three months along, was the biggest), pictures labeled "two weeks" and "three weeks" and now, added today, "four weeks." Officially one month along, 24 weeks to go, Harry eyed his slight, barely-visible-except-to-himself bulge in the mirror.

It was pretty insignificant, but his clothes were beginning to be a bit tighter. He was ecstatic that there was now _proof _of his little chick. Ecstatic that today would be the day he could hear his chick's heartbeat.

Yes, Madame Pomfrey had scheduled him to go in and hear the heartbeat of his baby – she'd been rather firm about him getting the prenatal attention his chick would need in the long run and had even explained, painstakingly, how the birthing process of a male submissive Sarkany worked.

(Which was rather disgustingly gruesome, in Harry's opinion: the Sarkany would nest with about a liter of his mates' blood, and when the time came, he'd rip his own stomach open and pull the chick out. And then hopefully drink the blood on time not to either a.) bleed out or b.) be scarred forever.)

The thought of drinking blood was ...well, he definitely needed a wastebasket after that one. He couldn't actually imagine himself doing that, but if that's what he needed to do to make sure his baby was born safely...

"Come on, baby!" Theo called from the portrait-hole. Harry hurriedly pulled his shirt down and wobbled around for a moment to slip his socks on (he was supposed to be getting dressed).

He'd also begun experiencing the _wonders_ of morning sickness. Seamus, it seemed, had skipped that – and Lexi's was not as bad as Harry's. And the term 'morning sickness' didn't cut it – Harry was mostly sick at _nighttime, _but it could generally linger all day. It was terrible.

Madame Pomfrey pushed Harry's shoulder gently back to lie on the cot, pulling privacy curtains around the little area. All of his mates crammed in, excited, and watched as the woman began preforming a spell.

"Now, in normal pregnancies," she began, "We might not normally hear a baby's heartbeat until well after the sixth week. In terms of Sarkany pregnancies, you're about at the equivalent mark of six weeks. It might not be there at the moment, the spell might not be able to pick it up... but if it does-"

She didn't need to say anymore though, because a wonderful sound suddenly echoed through the room.

_Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump._

"Oh my Merlin," he heard Ian gasp in awe.

"Is that our baby?" Wyatt whispered, eyes huge.

"That's our baby!" Bill confirmed, a huge grin spreading across his face.

"Our baby," Theo agreed, a wondering look in his eyes. He hid a tiny smile, though, reaching out to clench Harry's hand in his own.

_Our baby!_

* * *

><p><em>I promised I wasn't going to be editingwriting these chapters, so you get to see how EXTREMELY BAD I used to be! I didn't know much about pregnancy at this time, but I am glad I at least wrote "unnoticeable-except-to-himself" or I'd be ashamed. xD _

_Love Ky~_


	23. Family Findings

_Someone PM'd me recently, upset that HPATSF wasn't going to be finished. I just wanted to take the time to post the next chapter. I've not wanted to post any more until I caught up with SS, but I decided I would._

_I want to let you guys know - I've got 4 more chapters of this. Chapter 25 (we're on chapter 21) is nearing the end. I may finish it, just to say I did. _

**_Disclaimer:: I don't own anything you recognize._**

* * *

><p><strong>HARRY POTTER AND THE SARKANY FLAME<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-One: Family Findings**

"One week?"

Hermione was staring, amused, at the pictures an obsessive Harry had forced onto her. She snorted as she flipped through them, shaking her head.

"You know that you don't look any different at 'one week' than you did before you were pregnant, right?" she asked, setting the pictures down and sipping her tea. This was her free period, something that used to be used either studying or getting into trouble with Ron and Harry. Now, it seemed, even though they were only sixteen (or seventeen, in Hermione's case), that they were all grown up. They'd not caused any trouble or gotten points taken away or had silly arguments or glared at the Slytherins... it was amazing how far they'd come from the biased Firsties they'd been only six years ago.

"I know," Harry admitted, and then a slow smile spread across his face. "But there's just something that seems different in that photo, don't you think?"

Hermione glanced down at it and wanted to tell him, yes, he seemed happier. That was the difference. Instead, she didn't say anything at all, just gave him a little grin and steered the conversation in a different direction.

"Have you thought anymore about the you-know-whats?" she whispered. All four of Harry's boys were out of the rooms – Theo to class and the other three working – but it was still best to be discrete.

"Dumbledore says he might have found one, but he doesn't want me going with him," Harry murmured. "He says there are signs of Inferi."

A spasm of disgust rolled over Hermione's face, and then pity. "How could anybody disrespect the dead like that? To _use _them.."

"I know," Harry muttered, shaking his head. "It's terrible."

The duo fell silent, Hermione and Harry both thinking their own thoughts. With the war progressing, it was dangerous for anybody to go out, really. Hogsmeade visits were few and far between, pressed into the short hours between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, and there were always teachers around now. The Minister had been put under the Imperius and then died trying to shake it off and a new Minister was rushed in. This one seemed a lot more capable than the others, but also seemed to see Aurors as replaceable. The Aurors were being sent out more, trained or (more often than not) not, fewer coming home to their families than being deployed. It was exactly two weeks ago that James and Sirius had decided to take up their old spots in the Auror department, and because the department was short, they didn't even bother re-training the two men.

Hermione had personally held Harry as he cried and fretted.

Not only that, but now it looked like the Ministry was beginning to train Hit Wizards to be Aurors. There wasn't that much of a difference between the two and Hit Wizards were easy to come by. Hit Wizards were used to bringing in the 'bad guys' by any means necessary, which meant they usually lasted longer than Aurors anyways. Aurors were forced to be the image of honor and nobility and usually died trying to live up to the Ministry's expectations. Harry had absolutely point-blank refused for Ian to go into Auror training, but that hadn't stopped the man and it was a tense three or four nights before Harry's gotten over himself and forgave Ian.

That was _three _people in the Auror force that Harry worried about – Tonks had been taken out for the duration of her pregnancy, of course – and it was beginning to wear on him, really. That was why Ian arranged for his friends to be there to distract him.

"So have you thought of any names?" Hermione wondered. Harry looked around and smiled coyly.

"A little," he mumbled. "But they're silly – I mean, not really, but..."

"Harry," Hermione chastised.

"I was thinking – if it's a boy, we could name him Michael. For Ian's dad. But then I thought – wouldn't it be weird if the baby was Bill's biological baby, and we named him after _Ian's _dad?" Harry asked, chewing his lip.

"It might be," Hermione admitted. "Or the other boys could get jealous."

"No, that wouldn't happen," Harry muttered while his mind screamed, _yes it would!_

His boys were getting along well with each other, but all of them still ended up a little jealous at times. Such as, at night, when the first two in bed got to claim either of Harry's sides. The bedtime routine became rushed and there was a lot of snarling and snapping until Harry threatened that he'd just go sleep on the couch, then. (Not that he would, of course.) They also were beginning to treat Harry like a little doll that would break if you breathed on him...and were weary of each other touching him. It was kind of sickening, really. If this is what it was like at one and a half months, what would it be like at six and a half?

"So what do _you _think it is?" Hermione hummed, pouring herself some more tea. Her time with Harry was just about up and she wanted his opinion before she had to leave again.

"I hope it's a girl," Harry admitted. "But I just honestly think it's a boy."

Hermione hid a smile and nodded along with him until she glanced at the clock. "I have to go or I'll be late for Potions! Goodbye!"

– – –

"Our babies are going to be best friends," Lexi said happily from where she sat with Harry and Seamus on the floor in front of the coffee table. There was an owl-order magazine in front of them and every once in a while they'd dart forward with their chosen marker and circle something they'd want or need for their baby.

"How can you tell?" Harry wondered, absentmindedly circling a bottle set with his green marker. Lexi checked a mark next to it with her purple marker and Seamus followed suit with a blue mark. They all needed bottles.

"Babies Potter, Malfoy, and Finnigan. It just sounds right," Lexi responded. "Besides, we're all friends, right? We'll schedule play-dates and they'll learn to like each other."

Seamus snorted. "'Potter' and 'Malfoy' being best friends is far-fetched, Lex."

Lexi shrugged. "Boys will be boys, of course, but I think we're all going to have girls. Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Fun," Seamus' eyebrows rose. "I'd probably die of shock. We saw a muggle fortune-teller last week who said we'd be having a son."

"You know they're not always right, right?" Harry laughed, and then frowned. "But..."

He remembered when they'd gone to Madame Zhu's and read their fortunes to each other, the ones that came out of the little cookies. Harry's had been _you'll find love in a familiar face. _That was Bill, right? And Ian's had been something about misfortune – the man had nearly died the same day. And then Theo's, Theo's was _someone you value dearly will be injured today. _That would be Ian, of course. He wondered idly if those fortunes were coincidences or if Madame Zhu had a Seer working for her.

"What?" Lexi asked gently.

"Nothing, just got lost in thought," Harry smiled, playing it off, as he leaned back against the couch.

Seamus had been very happy to show Harry his baby bump. Harry was surprised at the size of it already – Seamus had always been flat-bellied, and Harry should know..he'd spent the previous five years in a dorm with him. But now there was a strange little bulge around Seamus' middle. Harry and Lexi were both jealous about not having a bump and worried about the time when they _would _have one. Lexi would give birth around the time Harry did, as Veela pregnancies lasted ten, sometimes ten and a half months. Neither of them were showing yet, which was an unseen blessing in Harry's book (he already got enough attention as is!).

"Ah," Seamus nodded. "Anyways. I heard your parents were going to try for another baby! How do you feel about that?"

"Yeah, isn't it odd?" Lexi gaped, and now both of their full attentions were on Harry.

"I feel a little weird about it still," Harry admitted, shifting awkwardly. Lexi and Seamus were some of his closest friends now – he still loved Ron and Hermione, but he could relate to Lexi and Seamus much better than his longtime friends now. It was almost sad. But Harry felt he could tell anything to the duo, which was a far cry from what he felt about his mates, his still-pretty-close previous best mates, Remus, or even Sirius. Somehow that lot would make him try to see reason, but Lexi and Seamus wouldn't judge him.

(He wondered if this was what it was like for females with female friends.)

"I mean," Harry murmured quickly. "I think it's wonderful they want more kids, and I bet they'll be wonderful parents, but I just...get a little jealous, I guess. They weren't there to raise me and now I'm all grown up and with a baby on the way and I don't need to be raised anymore. Or at least, the kind of raising I need is done by my mates – they help me grow up the rest of the way. And... I get this funny feeling inside when I realize my baby will be older than whatever aunts or uncles it might have in the future."

Lexi tutted softly. "I understand, that would be so odd," she sympathized. "And having siblings who are sixteen or more years younger than you! That has to be weird, too."

"I guess," Harry shrugged, a bit stiffly. "I wonder when my life got so weird?"

"What do you mean?" Seamus asked idly, circling a spindly high-chair darkly.

"Think about it. I'm sixteen and my parents died fifteen years ago. I came into an Inheritance that turns me into some sort of...dragon-thing. Around the same time I found my first mate, my parents were brought back to life. I then found three other mates and now we have a baby on the way. My parents are now attempting to have more children of their own. Not exactly a _cliché, _now is it?" Harry babbled, a bit unsure of his own words. After he'd finished saying them, there was utter silence.

"Well..." Seamus mumbled after a moment. Lexi shifted, kicking her feet up onto the coffee table and leaning back against the couch. "It could be weirder."

"How could it-" Harry started.

"-you could be half-Acromantula with six eyes and eight legs and lay an egg sack that produces hundreds of children at one time and want to eat your not-dead-anymore parents," Lexi chirped happily, not even noticing the incredulous stares that both Harry and Seamus were shooting her. The blond girl snatched the catalog, flipping the page and beginning to chatter about something she thought she'd seen, until realizing that they were both still shocked at her previous description.

"Are you right in the head?" Seamus wondered finally, once Lexi had glanced up.

"Of course. It's a book," Lexi told them, shrugging a tiny one-shouldered shrug. "_Soup, Salad, and Spider-Legs: The Complete Diaries of Amaria Long, 'The Spiderwoman',_" she added, when her explanation only caused further eyebrow raises.

As she said this, the door jumped open and Draco and Theo came in, talking to each other and lugging their bags. Draco glanced up with a wrinkled nose.

"You read that?"

"Of course. It was entertaining," Lexi replied, holding the catalog up. "Shay, Harry and I have been busy!"

"Uh-oh," Theo responded, tugging the magazine gently out of her grasp. "How about we have some tea before we go into shopping?"

"I hate shopping," Harry grinned happily, pushing himself into a standing position (Theo's hands found Harry's elbows the moment he'd stood up, steadying and fretting over nothing). "I can stand on my own, Theo. If I can still see my toes, I don't need you to help me walk," Harry snorted, shuffling off to the kitchen.

"Right," Theo said quickly, traipsing after his silly mate. "Anyways. What kind of tea?"

"Raspberry," Lexi said at once, while Harry chimed in with a "Spearmint" and Shay just wanted black. Immediately this sparked a conversation between the trio around Harry's terrible "morning" sickness.

"Is it still very bad?" Lexi questioned sympathetically.

"Yeah. Supposedly though, spearmint is supposed to help," Harry smiled tightly. "So I'll try it."

"Really? Interesting. Red raspberry leaf is supposed to strengthen the uterus – though lots of people say it causes miscarriages. My mum swore by it, though," she grinned, winking. They both turned to Seamus curiously.

"Uh...I like black tea?" he said, and the trio burst into fits of giggles.

– – –

"Pffft," Wyatt laughed, mouth on Harry's belly. Harry wriggled around, trying to get Wyatt to knock it off so he could study.  
>"Ehehehe- Wyatt!" Harry shrieked, book falling off his lap as he scrunched up to protect his belly. "Be good!"<p>

"Pay atteeeenntion to me, Harry," Wyatt whined, pouting a little as he pulled back. "I need a nickname for you," he decided, leaning back and pulling one leg up against his chest. Wyatt could sit in a great many different positions: sometimes he would sit on his knees with his ankles crossed, butt on his ankles. Harry often wondered how the man could stand it, being as Wyatt was bonier than bony.

"What? No you don't," Harry said, rolling over to retrieve his book from the floor.

"Yes, I do," Wyatt had his hands behind his head now, looking at the ceiling. "I mean, Theo always calls you 'baby', which I guess is more of a pet-name, and you used to look a tad annoyed but you've stopped scowling now," he hmmed gently, eyes rolling to glance at the boy he was infatuated with. "And Ian calls you 'kid', which can be a bit creepy, but it's better than nothing. So I need one."

"No, you don't," Harry mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Bill doesn't call me anything," he added quickly.

Wyatt's hair flopped into his eyes and he brushed it away with little annoyance. "Rightio, but I'm not Bill. Hey, can I ask you a question?" he said, abruptly changing the subject. Harry noticed this a lot with Wyatt – he was rather short-fused in more than one way. With his temper, his concentration, and his libido. It was rather like _Wyatt _was always in heat while they were having sex – which wasn't all bad, really, except when he forgot that Harry didn't usually like rough sex.

Harry shook his head quickly, wondering where that line of thought came from, and answered quickly: "Shoot," Harry muttered, distracted.

"Will you meet my sister?"

"Will I – what?"

"Will you meet my sister?"

"What- of course I will," Harry grinned, turning to glance at Wyatt with the brightest smile ever. Wyatt released a breath he didn't know he was holding, pulling out a sheet of parchment that was tightly folded in his pocket, holding it out to Harry.

"She wants to meet you. And the boys, of course," he added mockingly, referring to the other mates. "But mostly you."

Harry's eyes scanned the paper hungrily.

_Wyatt,_

_Congratulations times five! Can't believe you went from a loner to four mates and a baby in such a short period of time._

_Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, things have been crazy – what with Stan still going through the Ministry's silly debriefing sessions. I should warn you that I told mum, thought you'd rather like to know, because I'd assumed you'd already told her. Apparently not. She'll no-doubt already be planning a trip to Scotland with the kids for this summer. _

_I'd love to meet you guys! It's a bit quiet around here without any other Creatures, I'm used to living in the village, so chatting with another Submissive will be a great change of pace. And of course your other mates. How are you taking it? Four mates, jeez. Kid must be really powerful. Are you extremely jealous?_

_The boys are fine, Asher is getting _so_ big. Maybe I'll bring them with to the Three Broomsticks. Say, Saturday? At noon. Stan is on board, he's reading over my shoulder. We'll have to see._

_Well I best be going. See you soon, little brother!_

_Lots of Love_

_Wynter_

Harry beamed. "She sounds nice. She has three boys, you said?"

That conversation seemed like so long ago, though it had been – at most – only a month.

"Yeah, Asher is almost three, Ellis is eleven months and Baron is just a couple of months old."

"Wow, three kids under three. That must be tough.." Harry squinted, thinking.

Ian said that he'd had siblings, too – and Wyatt had more than just Wynter, from Wynter's letter. _"With the kids." _Bill, quite obviously, had six siblings – just how many brothers- and sisters-in-law did he have now?

This question was asked out loud just a moment later.

"Um, well –," Wyatt paused, frowning. "I've got Wynter, plus three little siblings. Xenia, Quinn and Vinny. Er, they're all school-aged. Attending Beauxbatons," he added. Though Wyatt's mother was American, they'd moved to France early on in his childhood and he'd been brought up around his English father's family. Which made absolutely no sense, but it gave Wyatt an interesting almost-French English accent that Harry thought was quite adorable. And Wyatt spoke French, which Harry _also _thought was quite adorable. "And Bill has his six, and I think Ian has – I think Ian has two little brothers, but I'm not positive."

Harry smiled lightly, thinking of Ian. Ian was silly. He never talked about his family – Harry only knew that his parents had both been Sarkany, and his father had died ten or eleven years ago. Harry decided that he'd ask about them when Ian came home tonight.

"Tell me about your family," he pleaded to Wyatt. Wyatt's dark eyes turned on him again, and the man grinned a bit.

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything," replied Harry with a little voice.

Wyatt stretched out, snagging Harry around the waist and tugging him closer, before humming in thought. "Weeeeell. My mum's a right crazy old thing, by rights she could have had more children but after Vinny nobody would want another kid. He's a good kid, I mean, don't get me wrong. But he's... well, he's – a risk taker, you could say. When he was two he managed to crawl out the window of our condo and fell two stories to land on the trampoline below. Nearly gave my mum a heart-attack," Wyatt had a wry grin on his face at that. "And that was when he was two. Now he's eleven and I think he's finally broken every bone in his body."

"Really?" Harry asked, eyes huge as he patted his belly, as if silently thinking: _you'd better not be anything like that, baby. _

"Oh yeah. And Quinn's not much better, though at least she recognizes things that are just too dangerous. I mean, last year Vinny climbed into the tiger exhibit at a muggle zoo. Where we couldn't magic him out," Wyatt snorted, tightening his arms around Harry protectively. "Xenia's our little studious thing though, well on her way to graduating even though she's only fifteen."

Wyatt continued weaving tales about his family: his father, who – though absent most of the time, with a human wife he'd had long before he'd even thought of mating – seemed extremely easy-going, a much older half-brother and half-sister who didn't really like any of their father's "other" family, and thus weren't around much (in fact, Wyatt even had trouble recalling what the girl's name was. "Rosa" he finally decided, and even then didn't look like he believed this was what her name was), Xenia and Quinn – who were born eight months apart and were in the same Year at Beauxbatons – and Vinny, who had just gone into his First Year this year. He sung Harry the French lullaby his Aunts would sing him when he was little, chittering about how they'd all had terrible French accents as both of them were born and raised in Scotland and, indeed, had been Hogwarts alumni.

Sometimes Harry bantered back, but he had little to say about his family. He'd told Wyatt about Sirius and Remus, how they both called him 'cub' or sometimes 'pup', but this only made his newest mate tease him: "You let everyone but me have a pet-name for you!"

This was how the others found them three hours later, when Bill and Ian tumbled out of the Floo one after the other, nearly at the same time that Theo was popping in the door. Both of them, curled up together on the couch, Harry's Potions book opened in a half-hearted study attempt, looking extremely light and peaceful.

* * *

><p><em>I dunno when the next chapter will be uploaded. :) a few weeks probably. The next chapter has a "big" spoiler in it and I'm not sure if I want to post it soon, for you guys, or wait until I've caught up with SS so I can post the spoiler at the same time in both stories. <em>

_Thanks for being loyal readers, loves._

_Love, Ky_


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